Terminator:Quest For Humanity
by meanoldmoe
Summary: Ch 13- John and the others finally arrive at Crystal Peak and begin to settle in, but something has followed them back.
1. Prologue

Terminator: Quest for Humanity Prologue

The year is 2020, it's fall time, but the weather is much colder than normal.

Things haven't been normal since the world changed forever nine years ago, on that fateful day, April 21st, 2011, known to survivors as Judgment Day. That is the day Skynet decided to wage war against humanity.

Many people died on that fateful day, but many more perished shortly after that day, most succumbing to radiation poisoning. Skynet had used mankind's multitudes of weapons to wipe out the same people it was designed to protect, not only military targets, but major cities of no military importance were vaporized. Being in control of key military computers, Skynet had been able to cut off any attempts by the world's governments to stop the attacks.

Countries were unable to get warnings out in time to other countries. Thinking they were under attack, and not knowing what was really happening, other countries fought back with lethal force. More nuclear, bio, and chemical weapons rained down on the earths surface. Billions of people perished in the first few hours, most never knowing what had happened, they were the lucky ones. The rest were left to fight to survive on a planet reduced to ash, rubble and dust with little chance of survival.

For the first few months, the sun remained hidden by massive clouds of grey black death, the remnants of having over ten thousand nuclear missiles strike the earths surface. Radioactive waste from the dirty bombs swept over much of the populated areas, weeks later more people died as a result of being exposed to massive amounts of radiation and having no access to any sort of medical help. With the collapse of governments, no one would be there to help the sick and dying, soon starvation and disease would decimate the remaining survivors.

Skynet had counted on the nuclear, bio, and chemical weapons, to wipe out most of the worlds population. Skynet also knew more people would die without safe water, food and proper medical aid. The plan now was to terminate the remaining survivors, before they had a chance to recover from the devastation. Skynet had a vast array of unmanned aircraft, vehicles, machines, and weapons at its disposal, all Skynet need to do was hunt down the survivors and terminate them.

What Skynet didn't know was, people had a strong will to survive and mankind was not ready to give up and give in to annihilation.

Small groups of survivors formed some becoming gangs of killers and thieves that preyed on the weak, others formed into family groups made up from close friends and family that managed to survive. From the remnants of the military still left alive, and civilians willing to fight, the Resistance was born, a group of people united in their determination to defeat Skynet and save mankind.

Skynet did not terminate all humans, as it still needed humans to help keep the massive computers going, as well as aid in new research and development to create new ways of terminating humans. These people working for Skynet, were known to the survivors as "Grays" and they were hated just as much as Skynet. Their reward for serving Skynet was life, with a few creature comforts to ensure their survival. Some Grays served Skynet because of having no other real choice in the matter, while others chose Skynet because they believed in Skynet and worshipped it like a God.

It was from this time on, most people realized the world had changed forever, and nothing was going to be the same as it was, ever again. The few, too young to remember life before Judgment Day, would never know what life was really like , to be able to live without the fear of death waiting for them around every corner, to think of machines as being built to serve them , instead of machines built to kill them.

Then there was the handful of people that had known Judgment Day would come to be. These had been the ones, told by visitors from the future, all about what was to become of their species. One of these persons had been told he was born to become a leader, someone that would become the savoir of mankind, a great General in the Resistance army, the chosen one. It had been drilled into his head, from his childhood, right up until Judgment Day. He had never wanted to be this great leader of mankind, all he ever wanted was a normal life, to live, to love, to be like any other person. He never wanted to be the chosen one, the one prophesized to win the war against Skynet, but with Judgment Days arrival, he knew it had now become his destiny.

His name was John …….John Connor.

John thought he had destroyed Skynet when he blew up Skynet Central in 2018, but Skynet still lurks in the shadows, waiting for its moment to strike at mankind and wipe humans off the face of the earth once and for all.

Now John has greater threats to deal with, raiders and a fragmented resistance.

Raiders are bands of evil marauders bent on taking whatever they want and killing those that stand in their way. These are the people that are slowly destroying what little humanity is left in and around LA.

The resistance never recovered from the losses it incurred when Skynet destroyed the resistance headquarters on the USS Wilmington, a Los Angeles class military sub. John and a few others have desperately tried to hold remnants of the resistance together, but with humans now fighting each other, they are faced with a grim future.

It will be nothing short of a miracle if John Connor can manage to unite the resistance forces and defeat Skynet once and for all.


	2. Chapter 1: Allison

**Chapter 1: Allison**

**Los Angeles- 2020**

A young brown eyed girl, all of maybe thirteen, stands alone on the second floor of a burned out building. It used to be an apartment, or an office of some sort, but it was hard to tell since most of the building had crumbled away.

Allison shivered a bit as the cold winds cut through her thin clothing. Slinging her rifle over her shoulder, she was able to free up her hands so she could rub her arms to get a little warmer. It always got colder, when the sun began to set.

She was glad her watch was almost over, she was cold, hungry, tired and bored. Allison preferred having a partner during watch, but people willing to help stand guard against any threats from machines or bandits, were in short supply. Skynet , its various machines and the bandits had taken care of that, but at least the underground hide out was safe, for now.

Feeling a little warmer, Allison swung her M4 carbine off of her shoulder and double checked it to make sure it was loaded and ready for firing. She brushed brown locks of hair from her face and peered off into the distance, staying alert for movement from the streets below. With most of the buildings leveled, it wasn't hard for her to spot anything suspicious, or anything worth killing for dinner, there was always something lurking about, animal, human or machine. Still, within the rubble and twisted metal, there was always a chance something might try to sneak up and catch her by surprise, it had happened to her before.

Allison was glad her auburn hair was finally growing back, it had been a few months since she had shaved her head and only now was it long enough to reach her shoulders. Getting lice had really sucked, and with nothing to get rid of them, the final solution was to cut off all her hair. She had been really pissed at Derek, she refused to talk to him for a week after he shaved her head. Others had teased her, calling her "boy", or "freak", bringing her to tears many times, and getting her into fights more often than not. Some of Allison's friends had shaved their heads to show support for her, and help curb the lice infestation. Their group became known throughout the tunnels as the Skinhead Warriors, a name that stuck even after they all started to grow hair back.

Even Derek had shaved his head, she knew he felt bad when he saw her crying, and so she appreciated him doing it to help her feel better. He had looked pretty funny, all bald with his ears sticking out.

Derek was the biggest reason she was still around, if not for him and his brother Kyle taking care of her after Judgment Day, she probably would have starved to death, been terminated by a machine, eaten by cannibals or become some sex slave. It was only her and Derek now, Kyle had been missing for over two years. Allison feared the worst had happened to him, but Derek stubbornly believed Kyle was still alive, somewhere.

It would be only a matter of time before Derek found him alive, or so he had told her.

Allison figured he did this to keep up his hopes, and to quell his fears.

Allison was snapped from her thoughts when she heard three distinct taps on a pipe, followed by two more taps from below her, on the first floor. That was the signal someone was coming up to relieve her position. If someone, or something, came up without the secret tap, her orders were to shoot first and ask questions later. Derek had drilled this into her, time and time again, until it became second nature to her. Allison's life depended on her being always alert and ready for anything.

Allison tapped on a nearby pipe, two taps and then two more. This was her signal back to the person below that she had heard and was ready for them to take over from her. She quickly looked back towards the entrance to her lookout room, the door was still hanging on its frame and it would squeak out a warning whenever someone opened it. A few moments later, she heard the floor boards creak and then the door hinges moaned their disapproval when it was swung open. Just to be safe, Allison had her weapon ready to fire at a seconds notice, she could never be too careful.

Creeping through the door, almost as quiet as a mouse, a familiar figure slowly edged its way into the room. Allison let out a sigh of relief and relaxed her grip on the rifle.

It was Amanda. A slender girl, blond hair, blue eyes, a little older than Allison, but not by much. She crept over to Allison, making sure not to make any loud noises that might attract unwanted people, or machines.

"Hi Allie" Amanda whispered as she got beside Allison.

"Hi Mandy, I hope you dressed up warm, its really getting cold tonight" Allison whispered back as she put her weapon down to rub her arms some more.

"Yeah, I brought an extra blanket to wrap around me …..and some extra food to keep warm. You want some?" Amanda unwrapped a cloth bundle to reveal some meat scraps and flatbread. She held it out to Allison, but Allison shook her head.

"Nahh….you'll need it to keep warm. I'll get something when I go back to the tunnel…take care Mandy, I'll see you tomorrow after your shift"

Allison and Amanda quickly hugged, then Allison turned to go back out of the room, before she went out the door, she turned and gave Amanda a little wave. Amanda waved and smiled back.

Once Allison had closed the door she made a quick check of her surroundings, making sure it was safe to go down to the first floor. It was getting dark fast, the last rays of sunlight were slipping behind the piles of rubble and the old building left standing. Darkness was creeping in, filling corners and crevices with blackness. The only sounds came from the breeze blowing bits and pieces of garbage, or the occasional furry critter scurrying about its business.

After taking a deep breath, Allison slowly made her way down to ground level. It was about a two minute walk to get to the tunnel entrance, she would need to travel over twisted concrete, rubble and some skeletal remains of cars. Seeing it was all clear, she made her way east towards the tunnel picking her way through the mess in front of her, but always careful to be as quiet as possible.

Suddenly there was a crunch and some rocks fell from a pile of rubble just ahead of where Allison was.

She crouched down behind a rusted car, her instincts kicking in, she quickly snapped her rifle to her shoulder. Allison held the weapon close to her as her eyes darted around, looking for any signs of movement.

The gun followed wherever her eyes moved, it was something that came naturally to her now. Her life depended on being alert and ready for anything to happen. Then she saw the lone figure, rounding a corner about twenty meters ahead of her, his features hidden by the shadows. Allison pointed her weapon at the figures chest.

"Stop right there, don't move" she said, just loud enough for the person to hear.

"Allison?" a familiar voice called back.

She knew who it was as soon as he spoke, lowering her weapon, Allison let out a breath of relief.

"Damnit Derek, I could have shot you" She was angry, but also relieved it was him.

Derek came closer, his features becoming recognizable in the dimming light. Allison detected a faint hint of a smirk on his face as he got to within a meter of her.

After swinging her rifle onto her shoulder, she crossed her arms in front of her and glared up at him.

"Are you spying on me again?"

Allison asked with a hint of anger and frustration in her voice.

A mock look of surprise formed on Derek's face. "Who?Me?"

Derek let out a small chuckle, and then he got serious.

"Allison" Dereks voice getting stern "You should have been back in the tunnel an hour ago, what took you so long?"

"I had to wait for Mandy to relieve me I can't just abandon my post, besides, I was on my way back when I almost shot your sorry ass" Allison smiled, she knew her ass comment would piss off Derek.

"Hold on there Miss Smartass…..I only made noise because I was in a hurry to make sure you were okay" Derek was wagging his finger at Allison, his blue eyes were hardened ice chips of anger at first, but softened quickly as he stared deeply into her sparkling brown eyes.

"Well I am…..so no worry. Now let's go get something to eat, I am starving" Allison swung her rifle around and made ready to get going back to the tunnel.

Derek put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her for a second.

"We lost Kyle, I don't want to lose you too. I worry about you Allie"

"Derek you know I can take care of myself, you helped train Kyle and me how to fight, shoot, survive and stay alive." Allison knew mentioning Kyle might upset Derek, but she needed to stand her ground, she wasn't just a kid any more.

"Ya but, There is still danger all around here, not only from metal, but from raiders and cannibals too. I need to know you are okay Allie." Dereks gaze was soft, his hand still resting on her shoulder. Allison was his adopted baby sister, both Kyle and he had gone out of their way to make sure she was always safe, With Kyle missing, Derek had an even stronger will to make sure Allison was taken care of.

"I know you are just looking out for me, but I am older now and I can take care of myself. I don't need you to baby sit me twenty four seven. I need some space Derek"

Allison had calmed a little, but she was still mad at him for coming after her.

"Look Allie, I just heard from a couple of patrols that we might have some uninvited metal guests drop close by. Skynet has some Endos and an Ogre lurking about a kilometer east of us, and they might head this way. I was coming to warn you and to make sure you would make it back safely to the tunnel" Derek was speaking softly to Allison, his eyes never leaving hers. He was worried about her, he always worried.

Allison pondered over what Derek had just said.

She was glad he had shown up to escort her back to the tunnel, anything Skynet related made her sick to her stomach with fear. She hid her fears well from others, but could never hide anything from Derek, he knew her too well and he knew what she had gone through before they had met.

"Okay then, let's get going back home" Allison gave Derek a little smile and turned to head towards the tunnel entrance.

Derek dropped his hand from her shoulder, took a look around, and made sure nothing dangerous was lurking near by.

Both Allison and Derek had gone along this path to the tunnel many times, they knew every piece of rock, rebar and twisted wreck of a vehicle that was needed to go by, in order to get home.

No one bothered to clear the path, as that would lead to either Skynet, or some rogue clan of barely civilized humans to this latest hideout they were in. Life was hard enough without worrying about getting discovered and possibly being wiped out.

Rounding a corner, Allison and Derek came upon a pile of rubble, made up of what was once a building. To the untrained eye, it was nothing more than a junk pile, to anyone living in the area, this was the main entrance to the tunnel.

Derek turned to go around the left side of the pile, Allison followed closely and slowly, carefully they came up to the remnant of a wall with its rusty railing still clinging on, but it was long past being able to help anyone in providing support.

With daylight almost non existent, it was hard to see the steps going down to the doorway into the tunnel. The doorway was also covered with pieces of junk and the stairs were littered with garbage, this helped in keeping the entrance way a secret.

Once they had picked their way through the obstacles and made it to the main door, Derek lightly rapped on the rusted metal surface. Four taps, then two, then four again, this was the code they used to gain entry, unless they wanted to be greeted with a hail of bullets from inside.

Derek and Allison paused for the signal indicating it was okay to come inside,

Three metallic sounding taps answered back from behind the doorway, followed by high pitched squeaks and groans, as the door way was slowly slid sideways to make room for them to enter.

Allison easily slipped her slender body past the tight opening and into the tunnel.

Derek, being much larger, had a harder time wriggling through the opening.

Allison thought she heard him muttering something about the door being made for hobbits. She wasn't sure what a hobbit was, but made a mental note to ask about it later.

Once they were both inside, Derek and Allison were greeted by two armed guards and a rather large dog. The dog seemed quite pleased to see both Allison and Derek, wagging his tail and whimpering for attention. The guards could care less who had just come in and proceeded to close the entranceway door.

Allisons face lit up as she knelt down to give the canine a scratch behind the ears and was given big sloppy licks on her chin in return for her attention she gave to the dog.

"Hey there Buddy, hows my best boy doin tonight?"

Allisons question was answered with more licks and whimpers from Buddy.

Derek nodded a greeting to the two guards, turned and proceeded to slip past Allison so he could start the long trek down to the lower levels of the tunnel.

"Allie are you coming? It's time to get something to eat and some rest" Derek called back to her, fully knowing she would eventually come. He was sure she had not eaten since morning time and it had been a long cold day.

"Bye Buddy, I'll bring you a treat in the morning"

Allison gave Buddy a kiss on his head, stood up and proceeded to follow Derek down into the lower level of the tunnel. Buddy sat and watched them slip into the dim darkness of the tunnel, only the occasional bare bulb or lamp, gave off any light to help guide anyone further into the depths.

Derek and Allison rounded a corner and came upon a staircase leading further down into the tunnel. Allison had asked Derek what this tunnel may have been, before Judgment Day, he had grunted something about it being part of the cities underground system of subway trains and stations, most of which had been destroyed by the war.

This tunnel was more of a mix of the old subway and some hard work done by the survivors, to make this place more of a safe place from Skynet and others. Many areas had collapsed from neglect and damage, but some people resorted to digging out some of the tunnel to make homes for themselves.

The further they went down, the more people they ran into. Some were just mulling about, trying to catch up on any news from the outside, others were standing watch, waiting to fight at a moments notice should the opportunity arise.

Derek nodded to the ones he knew as he passed by them, some he liked, and others he knew not to trust.

Allison followed close behind Derek, she felt safer when she was near him. Some of the people in this tunnel were shady, they would rob you blind if you didn't watch out.

As they reached the lowest part of the tunnel, they came to the main platform used to load an unload people, when the subway was operating, now, however, it had been turned into a small underground town for about five hundred people. Men, women, children, and animals all lived here. It made for some interesting and foul odors to be inhaled by the nose.

With no proper ventilation, garbage collection or running water, it was not a surprise the smells were so bad. Allison never got used to the putrid stench of the tunnels, it always made her stomach churn.

"It smells pretty ripe in here tonight." Dereks eyes were beginning to water and despite waving his hand in front of his nose, it didn't make it any less easy to bear.

"Yeah you're right "Allison curled up her nose in disgust and held back the urge to gag,

She was beginning to lose her appetite.

Finally they ended up at their home, a small corner on the platform, divided from others by pieces of old barricades, wood scraps and various tarps used to give it some privacy.

Derek pulled the tarp aside and waited for Allison to go in first.

Once she had slipped in, Derek took a look around before ducking into their makeshift dwelling.

Despite being cramped, Allison still managed to make their place seem comfy and inviting. In the back of the shack, she had her room and Derek had his, with large pieces of tarp dividing up their spaces. The front portion of their shack contained the main area where they ate, entertained any guest that might come by, and stored small items of importance.

Allison liked to imagine she was living in an Arabian tent in the desert. She was the princess and Derek was one of her servants, ready to bring her anything at a moments notice. He surely was not a Prince, or knight in shining armor, she hadn't met anyone like that yet.

Allison slipped into her room and placed her weapon and some small items onto her bed. The bed wasn't much, but it kept her warm and dry.

Derek tossed his jacket into his room, but kept his weapons near by. He was never without a weapon, experience had taught him to be always ready at a moments notice.

In the main room, Derek turned to a locked crate, opened it, and pulled out a can of fruit along with some dried meat for dinner.

"Allie, come get something to eat" Derek called out to her

"Yeah, I'll be right there" Allison quickly put aside her stuff and joined Derek in the main room.

"Mmmmm…Fruit and mystery meat, my favorite "

Allison reached for a portion of meat and grabbed a spoon for the fruit.

"Ahhh, just a minute Allie, we need to say grace" Derek wagged his finger at her, a hint of a smile on his face.

Allison put her spoon and meat down on her lap.

They both bowed their heads and Derek said a little prayer of thanks.

"Bless us Lord for this meal we have before us. We are thankful to be able to eat, for some people have nothing to eat. Thank you God for another day without the threat of Allie and I being separated, injured, or killed. Amen "

Allison quickly said her Amen and tore into her food, despite the stench in the tunnel, she was starving.

Both Derek and Allison wolfed down their dinner in a matter of a minute, after which he brought out a container of water to help wash down the food.

It was shortly after Derek took a sip, when he heard a loud explosion coming from where the tunnel entrance would be.

They both looked at each other for a split second.

Allison's face failing to hide her shock, fear and dread, while Derek showed only a hint of his own hidden worries.

"Looks like trouble has found us again Allie"


	3. Chapter 2 : Commander John Connor

**Chapter 2: Commander John Connor**

**Crystal Peak- Resistance Stronghold**

It was a chilly morning outside, but warm and comfy in the bed.

Johns eyes opened slowly, he was still tired but knew he needed to get up soon.

He brought his hand up to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes and yawned as his mind tried to wake up along with his body.

"Morning sweetheart"

John looked over to see Kate propped up on her elbow beside him, her blue eyes locking onto his, a soft smile on her face. He smiled, leaned in closer to her, slipped his hand behind her neck and pulled her into a deep tender kiss.

"Morning Katie" John whispered after their lips parted," how come you're up so early?"

"Kayla was fussing earlier, I think she is still getting over that cold from last week. I was having a hard time getting her back to sleep, she's stubborn like her father." Kate smiled and brought her hand up to stroke Johns cheek," And I've been thinking about things"

"Oh?" Johns eyebrow lifted up "What were you thinking about?"

"Maybe we should think about having another one John. It's been almost two years since we blew up Skynet central, and it seems Skynet has pulled back. We hardly run into Skynet patrols, HK's, or…."

"Kate" John said as he placed his finger on her lips, "We cannot assume Skynet is going away, If anything, I think Skynet pulled back to re-group and re-organize. I'm worried we will be in for some heavy fighting." John's face went blank as he thought for a moment.

"John, I don't want our lives put on hold, just because Skynet might do something."

Kate moved closer to John, her lips barely an inch from his.

" Besides, Kayla should have a brother or sister"

John smiled, his eyes sparkled as he lifted his head to kiss Kate

"So when do you want to start?" he whispered.

"How about now"

Kate nuzzled up to Johns neck and placed baby kisses, slowly she traced her lips up to his lips. She climbed on top of him, pulled her shirt off over her head while straddling his mid section, but never breaking her lock on his lips. Her long auburn hair fell onto his chest and danced along his neck, as she pressed her body closer to his.

John wrapped his arms around Kate, pulling her into a tight embrace, as they kissed deeper. Both of them were getting lost in the moment, when there was a sudden knock at the door.

John pretended not to notice, but Kate pulled away, causing John to sigh with disappointment.

"What is it?" she called out to the mystery knocker, a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Kate, its Blaire." A female voice called from the other side of the door.

"Conner is needed in the briefing room A.S.A.P."

"Okay Blaire, John will be out in a minute "

Kate leaned in to kiss John, climbed off of him and scooted off of the bed.

Turning towards him, Kate winked at John, while she straightened out her pajama bottoms and put her t-shirt back on

"We'll continue what we started later" She said with a playful grin on her face.

John sat up, a stunned look on his face_. Why the hell is there always an interruption at the worst possible time _He shook his head in disbelief?

Quickly he tossed aside the covers and swung his legs onto the floor.

John stretched, and then twisted his neck around to loosen up, he leaned over to grab his clothes from the chair near the bed.

Kate pulled aside the curtain used to separate the babys area from theirs. Having only one room to share with their child meant they needed to improvise to get some privacy.

Kayla was still asleep, but Kate could still hear the child was having trouble breathing.

"Poor babe, you really are having a tough time with this cold"

Kate brushed a strand of blond hair away from Kaylas face, leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.

John came up behind Kate, kissed her on the cheek and looked over at Kayla,

"Is she any better today?"

"She's having trouble breathing John, her chest is still congested. I think she will be okay, the meds I gave her have helped a lot."

Kate sighed and leaned in to give the child another kiss on the forehead. Kayla stirred a little and made some sounds, but she remained sleeping.

John placed his hand on Kate's shoulder, she smiled and turned to him, she could see he had worry in his eyes.

"It's okay John, she will be fine in a couple of days. The meds need time to help her out, she will still be a little stuffy and miserable for a while."

Kate put her arms around John's shoulders and leaned up to kiss him. After kissing him, Kate got serious.

"Now, you need to get going. It sounds like something important has come up"

John smiled, gave Kate a quick peck on the cheek and turned to leave.

_I wonder what happened now_, John thought to himself as he exited their quarters.

As John made his way down hallway towards the main command center, he passed a few troops and some civilians along the way. Greetings from people were normal, as almost everyone knew who General John Connor was, after his daring rescue of captives from Skynet Central and the total destruction of the facility located in San Francisco, he had become a legend. It was something he really didn't want, but if it meant he would have more people willing to fight, he was able to fully accept his increased popularity.

Many people heard how John had gone against the Resistance leadership plans to destroy Skynet Central with the captives still inside the facility. They heard how he rallied the independent resistance fighters to stand down, until he could rescue any survivors.

After the rescue, and the discovery that Skynet had destroyed the Resistance leadership, it was decided by the troops that John Connor be the new commander of the resistance. He had now become General Connor, honorary leader, voted by the men and women that loved and trusted him with their lives.

As he made his way down the corridor, John was saluted by troops, as well as receiving warm" hellos" and "good morning" from any civilian he passed by.

Although originally a military bunker, set up to protect leadership in case of war, Crystal Peak had become a gathering point for survivors from all around. People of all ages and background had shown up with the hope that they would be protected from Skynets relentless attacks.

There were advantages to having these refugees show up and disadvantages. On the plus side, many people had skills that could be put to use and help the resistance. The downside was, the military bunker had limited supplies of food and water. Something had to be done soon, before things got critical.

Arriving at the Command meeting room, John slipped through the door and closed it behind him. He was greeted by six familiar faces, his top advisors in his staff. They all stood up and waited until he arrived at the head of the table,

"Good morning people "John spoke to the group and gestured for them to be seated.

The group answered back with morning greetings, sat down and then Blair Williams spoke up.

"Good morning Connor, I hope I didn't wake you and Kate up when I knocked"

"No problem Williams, we were awake, sort of" John cracked a crooked smile at Blair.

"So what's going on?"

"Were getting reports from various camps in and around the L.A. area. There have been skirmishes between resistance and rogue civilian groups. Seems some of the better armed groups are raiding weaker resistance and civilian camps, taking whatever they can carry.

Some people have contacted us to ask if we can help out in any way." Blair looked visibly upset by what she was telling John.

John thought for a second. _This is just great, more trouble from people we are trying to save._

Picking an empty chair near the table, John sat down and stared at the table. No one said anything until he spoke up a minute later.

"Williams, is there anyone I can speak to that has first hand account of what has been happening?"

"I'm not sure sir, but I will check into it for you"

"Okay Williams, you are dismissed. Go find me someone that can clarify what is going on"

Blair got up and made her way out of the room. She knew this was not good news to bring to John, but something had to be done, before problems like this ruined the resistance network. The hard part now, was to find some one willing to talk about what was happening.

John looked around the table. "Anything else people?"

Barnes leaned forward and spoke up. "Supplies are getting low Sir, we need to send out people to gather up more food, clothing and shelter for the newcomers. At the rate this camp is growing, we might have to think about relocating to an area that can provide us with fresh water and a place to grow food"

John nodded his head in agreement. He knew they had to do something to help become more self sufficient.

"Barnes, gather up some people and go check out the newcomers. See if anyone has any skills we can use, we need people that know how to grow food, maintain equipment, and see if there are any more doctors, Kate and her staff could use some help. Dismissed"

Barnes nodded, got up and left the room.

John looked around the room, the four staff members left were made up of reps from Munitions, Communications, camp security and KP, Kitchen Patrol.

"Anyone else have good news for me" John asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Sparks, a younger slim man from communications, stood up to speak. His hair was greasy and seemed to go off in any and all directions, John thought of him as the resistance version of a geek, for Sparks was a wiz at anything to do with signals, or computers.

"Sir, um, just a reminder, I need you to come by later today to make another transmission to the Resistance. I got the transmitter working again." Sparks face turned beet red as he told John, he wasn't use to speaking up in front of a group of people.

"Okay Sparks, I'll be there just before dinner. That way I think we will reach more people at that time." John smiled at Sparks, fully aware of the young mans nervousness.

John looked over at the remaining three staff members. Peters from munitions, Hugo Smith from KP, and Melissa Webster the head of civilian camp security all sat there with blank looks.

"Anyone else?" John looked around at the group and lifted his eyebrow in question.

Smith spoke up next." Well sir, I do need to get back to my kitchen, before those apes end up burning everything in sight"

"I thought you had those guys well trained" John smiled, fully knowing Hugo hated to leave his kitchen alone.

Hugo just grunted and folded his arms across his wide expanse of a chest, his face showing no expression. It seemed he enjoyed eating as much as he enjoyed cooking and it showed.

Peters stood up, cleared his throat. He was close to Johns age, and well educated in anything to do with stuff that went boom, or was shot out of something. He was the weapons expert and head of Munitions at Crystal peak. It was his job to ensure John had the best weapons and plenty of ammunition.

"Nothing new to report sir, we have a healthy supply of weapons and ammunition, but we can always use more" Peters winked at John after his last comment.

John smiled back, fully knowing Peters was always ready for more guns and ammo.

"Okay, Webster, what about you? Anything to report?" John looked over to Melissa, raising his eyebrow again. She was the youngest of the staff he had in his inner circle, but she had a good head on her shoulders. John figured she was about twenty, or twenty two, but not much older. She had long wavy blond hair that went halfway down her back,a muscular body and she was tall, almost as tall as him. For some reason she always reminded him of a blond Zena, a warrior princess.

Melissa smiled at John, her blue eyes locked onto his as she stood up to talk.

"Nothing exciting to report sir, we haven't had any problems with any new arrivals. I've made sure to keep them in line and up to speed when it comes to camp rules." She had a hint of a smile on her lips as she spoke up.

"I bet you have Webster" John chuckled. He knew she ran the civilian camp with an iron fist, she was almost as tough as Blair, but Blair had the upper hand in experience.

"Okay people, dismissed!" John barked out and stood up. The others got up to leave, saluted and left John alone in the room. He stretched his arms above his head and twisted around to help relive the kink in his neck. Every time things got bad, his old injuries seemed to rise up and irritate him at the most in opportune moment. It was times like this, he wished there was a massage therapist in the camp._ Maybe I can convince Kate to give me one, _John smiled to himself.

This new problem with the rogue gangs running around was going to be a big problem for John. If Skynet decided to swoop in and attack while people were busy fighting each other, many more lives would be lost because of stupidity and greed. John sighed and got up from his chair, it was then that his stomach started to rumble, he had forgotten he has missed breakfast.

_I think I'll go back to the room and see if Kate and Kayla are ready for some breakfast._

John took one last look around the meeting room, before heading off to his quarters. It was going to be another long day, but he was going to make the best of it.


	4. Chapter 3 : Run Like Hell

**Chapter 3: Run Like Hell**

Screams of terror could be heard from outside their shelter, both Allison and Derek knew something terrible was about to happen. They were not sure if it was an attack from Skynet, or from one of the gangs of raiders out to steal whatever they could get their hands on.

"Allie, go get your back pack and gather everything you need to put into it. I'll fill up mine with food and my stuff. You've got one minute!" Derek wasn't fooling around, he knew they had little time to get going and his tone of voice showed it.

Allison rushed to her side of the shelter, gathered some clothes and small items of hers.

There wasn't much to pack, they always traveled light, just in case something like this happened. The only real item of importance was her little jewelry box that played Chopin When opened, it use to have a ballerina figurine pop up to dance, when opened, but it had fallen off a long time ago.

"Allie, let's go!" Derek yelled

She quickly stuffed her back pack full of items and zipped it closed, she knew better then to waste time.

More shouts and gunfire could be heard from where the entrance was. Panic was spreading throughout the tunnel.

"Okay, I'm ready Derek." Allison called back.

She swung her back pack around and looped her arms through the straps, picked up her rifle, shoved her 9mm pistol into her waistband and scooted out of her room.

Both of them slipped out of the shelter, Derek carrying a small camping lantern for illumination in the darkened tunnel.

They looked around to see people running all over, pandemonium had set in, no one seemed to know where to go, or what had started the attack.

Allison's thoughts went immediately to her friends._ I hope they got some warning, what about Mandy? I hope she saw what happened and made to some place safe._

She had almost forgotten Amanda had taken over her watch.

"Allie, this way" Derek pointed towards the subway tracks and down the tunnel, away from the entrance way.

Allison quickly followed behind Derek, making sure she didn't lose sight of him and where he was going.

A few others followed them too.

Familiar faces both Derek and Allison recognized from being in the tunnel.

Slowly they made their way onto the tracks and away from the gunfight, they were desperate to find a safe way out of the tunnel without being spotted by whoever was attacking them.

"Derek, where are we going?" Allison whispered. She was getting worried they might not make it out safely.

"I know a spot, down the tracks, about fifty meters from the platform. There is an access tunnel and a way to the surface, I found it a few weeks back when I was checking for escape routes, just for times like this."

Allison had a puzzled look on her face.

"But I thought you said it was blocked off further down, from a cave in."

"No, not this access tunnel. It was used for maintenance workers to service power supplies, telephones, cable, and stuff." Derek answered." I wasn't going to tell everyone about it, otherwise we would have a hundred people following us there and we might not escape in time."

Derek kept a steady pace along the rail tracks, holding the lantern up high to help in lighting up the tunnel. Distant echoes of gun shots and screams could be heard from around the bend where they had just come from. The small group had grown to thirteen people, only Derek and Allison had weapons, the others were just regular people trying to survive.

Allison looked back to see who had followed. There were two couples, probably in their late 20's or early 30's, two kids younger than Allison, three more teens around her age and an older couple with graying hair.

Finally, after trudging through small puddles of stagnant water and garbage, they came upon the service tunnel on their left. Derek found an old crate and placed it near the side walkway, so as to make it easier for the group to climb up into the tunnel. The tracks being lower than the access tunnel, made it awkward for anyone to go into it. Derek had figured this was why no else had bothered to check out this access tunnel, he was hopeful the ones attacking didn't know about this tunnel either.

Derek remained by the crate, he wanted to make sure everyone with them made it into the access tunnel safely.

Allison was the first to climb up and she grabbed the lantern from Derek so he could have his hands free to help the others. She looked down into the darkness of the access tunnel, the lantern struggling to shed any light further than a few feet. Allison couldn't see much, but judged the access tunnel must be deep.

Slowly and quietly, everyone managed to get up into the access tunnel. Derek took one last look around to make sure no one else was coming. He kicked away the crate and hoisted himself up off the tracks into the tunnel.

"Okay from here we go straight down this passage. It's about twenty meters before we come to a ladder leading to the surface. From there, I'll go up first to make sure everything is okay, then the rest of you will follow me up. Allie you'll be the last to come up, after everyone has gone. Got it?"

"Yeah Derek, I got it." Allison rolled her eyes.

She knew she would have to bring up the rear, she had the only other weapons, besides Derek. It was her job to make sure no hostiles would follow them up the ladder, or ambush them from behind.

Slowly the group made their way down the passage towards the ladder, the fighting from the platform that had been so loud before, was growing fainter as they progressed further along.

Finally they came upon the ladder leading to the surface, the tunnel had widened into a small room with various pipes and electrical panels off to the side. There was just enough room for the group to gather inside the room without too much discomfort.

Derek put his finger to his lips, then whispered "I'll go up first to see that everything is okay for us. I'll drop two pebbles down to signal you guys to start going up, one at a time. If anything starts to go wrong, I'll drop a piece of clothing, that will signal you guys to stay put, got it?"

Everyone nodded their understanding, including Allison.

Derek started up towards the surface, the metal steps were rusty, but securely embedded into the concrete. _I hope this is far enough away from the fighting, so we can get out safe. _He thought to himself.

Once Derek reached the top of the access shaft, he braced himself against the side of the shaft, making sure he wasn't going to fall when he popped open the manhole cover.

It was a good thing he had checked the manhole a few days ago, as it only took a bit of a fight to get it to pop up. Carefully he lifted and spun the round disc off to one side, making sure to make as little sound as possible.

With the cover out of the way Derek slowly climbed out and carefully looked around to make sure no one saw him, or heard him.

Quickly he scooted over to a pile of debris and rebar to look over at the tunnel entrance.

His worst fears were realized, when he saw the carnage at the main entrance.

Small fires from the explosions lit up the area by the entrance, he could make out figures standing over dead and dying bodies. They were hustling people out of the tunnel like cattle and any one that tried to leave was gunned down.

Sickening cries and screams pierced the normally quiet evening, as the raiding party gathered up their spoils and people.

Derek knew this kind of gang, they were the lowest type of person, bent on killing and taking what they wanted, when they wanted. He would have to be careful not to draw any unwanted attention to his group escaping, not to mention with all this noise, Skynet was sure to send out either an HK or some sort of scouting party.

Skynet may have been weakened by that major attack a couple of years ago, but it seemed the machines grew stronger, more numerous and bolder every week. It would be only a matter of time, before Skynet was back to full strength and back to killing humans.

Derek slowly backed down from his vantage point and crept over to the manhole.

He grabbed two pebbles and dropped them down the hole.

* * *

It had been a couple of minutes and Allison was getting worried about Derek. She knew he had gone off to make sure all was okay, but she hated the wait. Finally she heard two pebbles fall, that was the signal.

Allison looked over at the group and whispered.

"Okay guys, Derek signaled it is all clear up there. Start with the oldest first and go down in age from there. I will be the last to go up. Does everybody understand?"

The group whispered and nodded their understanding.

Allison looked back towards the main subway tunnel. She could hear some noises and was beginning to worry they may have been followed. She nervously watched as the group slowly began to make its way up the ladder.

First off was the older couple, they scurried up the ladder fast.

_Must be the thought of getting caught by the intruders. _Allison thought to herself._ I know I'll be flying up there , when my turn is up._

Next up were the kids and teens, since the two remaining couples figured it would be better if they followed the kids.

Allison kept looking back towards the subway tunnel, she was now hearing louder noises and thought she saw a quick flash of a light . Her hands were getting sweaty and she was beginning to worry they might get caught.

All of a sudden a light flickered down the access tunnel.

"Shit, they found us. Hurry up you guys." Allison barked, she was starting to get really nervous, but she knew she had to hold off anyone coming, so the others could escape.

Allison crouched down behind an electrical panel and aimed her rifle towards the light.

She aimed for the light and squeezed the trigger, but nothing happened, the gun had jammed.

"Shit, Fuck, stupid gun" Allison desperately tried tapping and hitting the rifle, but nothing happened. She tossed it down and grabbed her 9mm Beretta from her waist and aimed for the light.

This time, when she squeezed the trigger, the gun fired.

Loud shouts and curses could be heard from down by the subway tunnel.

Allison glanced over her shoulder to see if the last of the group had gone up, but there was one final couple just starting to disappear up the shaft. She looked back to the tunnel and fired a couple of more rounds, making sure she could buy herself some time before they rushed in.

Allison looked up the shaft and could see the others had finally made it to the surface. As she turned towards the ladder to climb, she heard a funny tin can sound coming from behind her in the subway tunnel.

The sound got louder, but stopped a couple meters from where she was standing.

Allison squinted to try and see what had been tossed, but it was just too dark.

All of a sudden, there was a huge flash of light followed by a thunderous boom.

The small room lit up instantly, blinding Allison.

In a moment of panic, she dropped her gun and staggered to the side of the room.

She couldn't see, or hear anything. Her ears were ringing, her eyes only saw blinding white lights and her head felt like it was going to split in two.

It was only seconds later, she wasn't sure, but as she tried to figure out what had just happened, some one grabbed her.

Allison's arms were held in a vice grip by a person much larger than her, she kicked her legs as best she could and tried to wiggle away from the attacker. It was no use, the harder she tried, the tighter the attacker gripped onto her.

She was dragged back into the main tunnel, where she came face to face with who was responsible for the raid.

In amongst a group of scruffy, but heavily armed men and women, was a giant of a man.

Allison could have sworn he looked like a T-600, he was just as tall and ugly as one them, but lacked the rubber skin.

The man that had grabbed her, brought Allison up to the giant.

"Look what I caught down that tunnel boss. She's a real scrapper too. I had to toss a flash bang down there, just so I could catch her."

She looked up at the man, her eyes flashed with anger, and fear. _I'm in deep shit now, what if these guys kill me? What if they are cannibals? Oh God please send Derek to help me._

A small tear trickled down her cheek as she mulled over her predicament.

"Awww, look what ya did. You made her cry Bubba" The giant pointed and laughed, then he pouted, sticking his bottom lip out. "You gonna cry little girl? Well too fuckin' bad for you. Little bitch, you almost killed us with your wild shooting"

"I wish I had, you overgrown sack of…." Allison yelled back, but was cut off when the large man quickly slapped Allison across her face, the force of the blow making her see stars.

"That's for being so mouthy, but you'll learn to keep your trap shut soon enough. Bubba, tie her up and make sure she don't get away, I got plans for her" The giant man leered at her hungrily, making Allison sick to her stomach.

"Sure thing Boss, I'll keep her safe and sound" Bubba answered back and laughed.

"C'mon sweet thing, lets get ya all settled in for the ride back home."

Allison tried to squirm some more in a desperate attempt to break free, but Bubba tossed her to the ground and forced his knee into her back with what felt like all of his weight.

Allison struggled to catch her breath, and at the same time she was desperately trying to hide her fear from her captors. The thought of these people taking her away and doing whatever they wanted to do to her was terrifying. _I wish Derek was here, he'd know what to do. Why hasn't he come to get me yet?_

"There now, all done and to keep you from looking for an escape, we'll just cover up that pretty face of yours" Bubba whispered into her hear and chuckled, then he tied a gag around her mouth and slipped some sort of sack over her head.

The sack smelled of rotten food and vomit, Allison had a hard time trying to breath without throwing up herself. She felt someone lift her up and toss her over their shoulder, she was pretty sure it was Bubba.

"Ahhh, good thing yer light as a feather sweetness" Bubba chuckled and smacked Allison's rear. "I'm taking this one to the transport, you guys take care of any other stragglers."

Allison could see nothing, but knew they were making their way up and out of the subway tunnel. It wasn't long before she felt the chill of the night air, the cold wind biting right through her clothing.

Allison shivered, not only from the cold , but from the fear of not knowing what was going to happen to her now.

"Mikey, hold up. I got a real cute one, but she's for the Boss." Bubba yelled out.

"Yeah, just toss her in the back with the rest of them." A high pitched nasally voice answered.

Allison felt herself being dumped into the back of some sort of truck, or van, she wasn't sure. The bare metal floor was cold, uncomfortable and smelled of oil and fuel.

She could sense others were in there with her, but couldn't see or call out to them.

From outside she could hear more cries from men a fair distance away and the sound of automatic weapons firing, then those men were silent.

The full weight of what was happening to her was sinking in, Allison began to sob, tears rolled down her face and soaked into the sack covering her head._ Please Derek, God, I need your help. I'm so scared. What can I do?_

Allison could hear others crying too, no one knew what would happen to them, but they all had a pretty good idea what might happen.

After a few more people were tossed in, Allison heard the metallic clank of a tailgate close. By now things had gotten crowded in the vehicle, but at least it felt warmer being close to others.

The vehicle fired up and jerked into gear, throwing Allison and others about as it started driving off. _This is it, Derek must be captured, or dead. There's no one to help me._

Allison sobbed some more, but the tears were no longer falling, hopelessness and dread had now set in, as Allison had now come to realize she was on her own again.

* * *

The last couple was just making it up to the top of the shaft, when Derek heard shots fired from below.

"Did you guys see anything?" Derek's face was showing signs of distress he was feeling.

"No, we saw nothin', but the girl told us to hurry up" The male responded.

"Shit" Derek muttered to himself, then he stood up and looked around at the small group gathered around him. "We need to get going ASAP. If Allison was firing shots, that means the raiders are after us. I'm going to go down and see what's happening, you guys head over to that pile of rubble, stay low, and keep quiet."

Derek pointed to the pile he had just come from, then he turned to climb back down the access shaft, but stopped when he saw a bright flash from below, followed by a loud bang. _Flash bang grenade , it must be one of those._ Derek thought to himself.

He looked down hoping to see Allison climbing up the ladder, but all he saw was dust and debris floating about. Derek's heart leapt into his throat, he quickly called her name, but no answer came back._ I should have gone last. _Derek thought to himself.

He wasn't sure what to do, as there were a million things going on in his head now.

Derek knew for sure, it would be suicide to go down now. The raiders would be down the tunnel as soon as the grenade had gone off. He thought of finding a safe hideaway for the others and then come back for Allison, but feared he would be too late to save her.

A pained look came to Derek's face, as he realized he had failed again at protecting someone he loved. Kyle was the first and now Allison. He made a fist in anger, but with nothing to hit, he just brought his hand to his face and bowed his head in defeat.

Tears welled up in his eyes and slowly trailed their way down his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry I failed you Allie" He whispered

Looking over towards the group, Derek noticed one of the older men signaling with his hands for Derek to hurry over. He wiped his face with his sleeve and quickly dashed over to the rubble pile.

"Hey, it looks like they are taking some people and puttin' them in that big truck" The older man whispered to Derek.

Derek crawled up to get a better view of what was going on. Straining to see in the dim light, he could see some large men carrying some people over to the 3 ton truck that was parked nearby. Their heads were covered by cloth, and it looked like they were all females, or children being loaded into the 3 ton.

The men were tied up and being led to another large van, but their heads were not covered up. Derek thought it was strange, but once he saw the men lined up to be shot, he realized why the raiders had not bothered to cover the men's heads. Cries of help and mercy came from the men's group, but the raiders open fire and shot the men like they were cattle.

Derek looked away in disgust, he couldn't believe people could be so cruel and thoughtless. He always felt People should be taking care of each other and fighting Skynet, not each other.

As he looked back at the first truck, Derek noticed a big man carrying what could have been Allison, slumped over his shoulder. A glimmer of hope lit up in Derek's eyes, as he looked closer. The girl was wearing similar clothes to what Allison had been wearing, so there was a good chance it was her, he thought.

The only problem was Derek had only his pistol and his M16A4 with about half a clip, defiantly not enough to try to rescue Allison, without having a death wish. He was no match up against a group of well armed raiders. He would have to get the others to safety and try to figure out a plan after.

The truck fired up and began its slow travel to the east, Derek tried to see where it might be going, but once it had rounded some piles of rubble, the vehicle slipped out of sight.

His heart sank, he knew Allison would be scared and he was afraid of what these raiders would do with her.

Derek climbed down and signaled the group to gather around.

"Look, we gotta get out of here, before they send out scouts to track us down. We'll head southeast and find some shelter. Make sure everyone keeps close and stays quiet, okay?"

His whispered words were met with solemn nods of understanding.

Forming a small line, the group made its way from their home to somewhere safe for the night.

Derek led the way, fully knowing these people were depending on him to get them to some place safe. His mind was elsewhere, drifting off in worry about Allison.

She was too young to be by herself and he feared she would disappear like Kyle did.

It bothered him to no end that he had been helpless to save her.

After about half an hour of sneaking down alleyways and ducking behind rubble, the group came up to what used to be a parking garage. It had long ago collapsed, but there were still some spots people could squeeze in and find shelter. Derek went in first to check it out and found it to be deserted.

He popped his head out from between two collapsed pillars and signaled all clear.

Slowly the group made its way into the new shelter and started to get settled for the night.

Derek made his way to a dark and secluded corner, not wanting to be bothered by anyone with silly questions, or wanting to make small talk. He wanted to be alone, so he could deal with his failure to protect yet another person he had vowed to keep safe. He sat down on the cold concrete floor and leaned up against the remnants of a pillar. Placing his weapon beside him, he brought his knees up to his chin, crossed his arms on top of his knees and rested his forehead on his arms.

Derek was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep, for he knew he had to think of some plan to find Allison and save her. Moments went by as he racked his brain for some sort of plan, but nothing came from it.

He sighed, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. _Maybe I'll think of something in the morning. There has to be a way to save Allie. _Finally Derek succumbed to his body and mind screaming for rest. He placed his backpack behind his head to use as a pillow and stretched out to try and grab some sleep.

"God please take care of Allie, keep her safe from harm until I can find her" Derek whispered to himself, closed his eyes and soon fell into a fitful sleep.


	5. Chapter 4: Mission of Hope

**Note- I just wanted to say Thank You, the reader, for reading this story, and thanks to those that have helped me in getting this story out.**

** A big Thank You to my reviewers ( Nomad79, Nyrki, The1Russter )  
**

**Chapters are going to get longer from now on and things will start to ramp up for John, as he tries to figure out what he can do to unite people in the fight against Skynet.**

**I am also going to employ/enslave another beta reader to help in double checking my story format and the Tech stuff to ensure mistakes are kept to a bare minimum.**

**Thanks again for reading !!**

**meanoldmoe  
**

**Chapter 4: Mission of hope**

**Crystal Peak- Resistance Stronghold**

John continued down the corridor towards his quarters, hoping to meet up with Kate and Kayla before breakfast. Again he ran into familiar faces on his way back to his room, he managed to smile and say his hellos without getting stopped and made his way quickly to his door without delay.

John twisted the knob and entered the room. Kate had just finished changing baby Kayla and was in the process of dressing her for breakfast.

"Hi sweetheart, how are my two girls doing?" John asked as he leaned in to kiss both Kate and Kayla on her cheek.

"We are doing better now, we're all dry and smelling much better." Kate answered with a smile.

Kayla gurgled her approval and lifted her arms up to her father. John reached down, grabbed Kayla by her waist and hoisted her up into his arms, she wrapped her arms around John's neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He turned his head to place a light kiss on Kayla's forehead.

"Are you going to join Mommy and Daddy for breakfast?" John whispered.

His answer was met with goos and baby babble, with the occasional Mum and Da thrown in for good measure.

Kate smiled "Okay, I'm ready to go."

"Well then it's off to breakfast we go"

John went towards the door, with Kate following close behind, Kayla perfectly content being held in her father's arms. They made their way quickly to the Mess Hall, stopping only briefly to say hellos to people they passed in the hallways.

Crystal Peak, was almost as well equipped as Cheyenne Mountain, but with less of a military set up, and more of a Bureaucratic set up. It had some military computer equipment, but they had not been upgraded since the 70's. This facility was geared more towards maintaining a government presence, in case of disaster. Unfortunately, the only people to make it to Crystal Peak during Judgment Day were John and Kate.

It was after they had blown up Skynet Central in San Francisco, that John and the remaining resistance decided to set up their main base at Crystal Peak. Seeing as the top military leadership had been wiped out, it seemed logical to find a new Headquarters to co-ordinate the resistance.

John and his family arrived at the Mess Hall just in time for breakfast. The line up was not too long and there were still plenty of seats available for eating. John passed Kayla over to Kate, grabbed a couple of trays and motioned for Kate to find them a spot to eat.

John looked up to see the hulking mass that could only be Hugo. He was bringing in a fresh tray of pancakes up front for serving

"Connor, nice to see you made it in for breakfast. I have something special in the back for Kayla" He said with a grin. "You grab yourself some food and I'll bring ya Kayla's food to the table"

"Why thank you Hugo, you always go out of your way for her" John smiled back at Hugo.

Hugo nodded and proceeded to bustle his way back into the kitchen. Various sounds soon emanated from behind the kitchen door, dishes clattering and pots clanging, followed by yelling from Hugo. John couldn't make out the words, but it sounded like all hell had broken loose in the kitchen. He shook his head and smiled,_ Hugo, always the slave driver._

John continued down the line, gathering various items of food as he went along. Besides pancakes, they had managed to get some fresh apples, as well as Venison which Hugo had made into delicious sausages. A pretty girl of about eighteen was just re-filling the large coffee dispenser, she turned to see John and smiled.

"Good morning Commander Connor, its fresh coffee someone found and shipped here. Seems the cans it was in remained intact, so we get a treat today" She beamed

"Lana, that's great news, do we still have any sugar and coffee whitener?" John asked

He was glad he remembered her name, sometimes it was difficult to remember names when so many people passed through the encampment. John knew it was important to remember people, he needed them to be there for him, especially now.

"I'm not sure Commander, but I'll go take a look for you" Lana smiled and turned to head off to the kitchen.

"Thank you Lana "

John couldn't help but smile, he poured 2 cups of coffee and placed them on the tray he was carrying. Looking over he saw Kate sitting with Kayla, she smiled and waved to John.

John made his way over to where they were sitting, placed a tray in front of Kate and the other tray in front of his self, as he sat down.

"Lana says they just got in a shipment of fresh coffee, and she's going to look for some sugar and whitener for us"

"You mean for YOU John" Kate smiled "I think she has a crush on you John Connor"

"Oh ya sure, I think she just likes to be nice, and helpful. Besides she likes Kyle." John smiled and shook his head. "You know my heart belongs to you Kate"

"I know John, besides I'd kick yer ass if I found out you were looking at other women" Kate's eyes burned into John's, but she had a faint smile on her lips.

"Well there are only two women in my life, you and Kayla" John replied with a big grin.

It wasn't a moment later when Lana returned to the table with sugar and fresh cream, she also had a small dish of something mashed up, on the tray too.

"What's all this?" John asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Morning Ms Conner, Hi Kayla" Lana chirped out with a big smile, then she turned to John. "Commander, we seem to have gotten a cow from somewhere, so we have fresh milk and cream for coffee and other stuff. Oh, and Hugo made some kinda mushy stuff for Kayla, it has fresh apples in it, he asked me to bring it here too." Lana smiled at John and quickly averted her eyes from his, she brushed a loose strand of hair from her face and blushed a pale shade of red.

"If you need anything, let me know"

"This is fine Lana and thank you for bringing Kayla's food" Kate said with a grin.

Kate looked over at John as Lana left, but he was busy pouring the sugar and cream into his coffee. Noticing he wasn't paying attention to her, Kate gently kicked John's leg under the table.

"Owww, what was that for" John spat out, with a look of pain on his face.

Kate narrowed her gaze, her eyes burned into John's, making him feel very uncomfortable. "I told you she had a crush on you, sometimes you are such a geek John"

"Well I didn't notice anything" John shot back, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, you're a man, so that could be part of it. I can see why she would like Kyle too, he does share the same genetics as you, and the same bull headedness." Kate smiled.

"Ah, she was just being friendly and helpful Katy" John smiled back, his eyes sparkling.

"Remember that night in Mike's basement? When we first kissed?" Kate asked with a mischievous smile. " It was junior high?"

"Yeah, what about it?" John answered, while not really paying attention to Kate.

"I thought you were the hottest boy there, the one with the bad boy attitude and a quiet confidence, or so I thought." She answered, leaning in closer to John.

"What do you mean by that Kate?" John perked up to listen closer.

"Ummm, how can I put this nicely to you?"

"What?"

"You kissed me for like two seconds and then made some lame excuse you had to go. I was all ready to get into the kissing, like the others, and you wimped out John.

"NO"

"YES, you did. You were scared of girls then and you still are now, especially when it comes to flirting. You have the finesse of a drunk chicken, when it comes to picking up a girl." Kate smiled

"You want me to pick up girls now?" John lifted his eyebrow in question.

"NO, silly, I just wanted to point out you are still the same cute, awkward and shy boy I met all those years ago." Kate reached over and gave John's hand a squeeze.

"So you love me for my body and not my mind then." John smirked.

"Who said anything about love?" Kate grinned.

"So it is all about abusing my body then?"

"Oh my God, YES John." Kate put on her best rendition of overacting and then lightly tapped John's hand again. "You are such a bone head sometimes John, but I do love you very much."

John smiled at Kate and his face showed a little hint of pink as he thought about what she had just said.

Kate smiled back warmly at John, even her eyes were smiling as she took hold of his hand and squeezed it tightly.

Anyone looking at them would see a couple deeply in love and lost in each others eyes.

It was Kayla that broke the moment of peace between the two lovers.

Kayla started to fuss a bit, so Kate put her into the highchair and started to feed her the porridge Hugo had made. Finding it tasty, Kayla would barely swallow, before opening her mouth for more. John had to chuckle, it was times like this when things almost seemed normal and there was nothing to worry about. He hoped Kayla would soon be able to go outside without the worry of a Skynet patrol, or band of raiders sweeping in to kill. Sometimes he even thought of just taking his family and going away to somewhere safe, but he knew nowhere was safe, as long as Skynet was still active.

John, Kate and Kayla were just finishing breakfast, when Blair entered the Mess Hall.

She had a look of worry on her face, and she was gazing around the hall trying to pinpoint where John Connor was. _I hate to bother him like this, but he needs to know what is happening. _Blair thought, as she peered around the room.

Finally Blair caught a glimpse of John sitting down with his family, she quickly made her way over to the table and cleared her throat to get their attention. John and Kate looked up.

"Sorry to bother you Connor, but some more news from LA has just come in. Seems raiders have been hitting a number of underground bunkers. They are killing and stealing anything they can get their hands on, including kidnapping women and children and killing the adult males that survive the attacks. We just got an urgent call for help from one of the bunkers that still has a means of communicating by radio sir" Blair had a pained look on her face, she knew what happened to the women and children that were kidnapped. Some were kept and others sold as slaves to the raiders, it made her sick inside to think what these people might have to go through.

John sat for a moment, his brow knitting together in deep thought, he let out a deep sigh and brought his hands up to run through his cropped hair. He looked over to Kate, pain surfacing across his normally calm features, she nodded her head for him to go, fully knowing he was needed to help.

"John, you go off with Blair, see what you guys can do for those people. Kayla and I will be fine." Kate softly spoke.

"It just boggles the mind that despite all the pain and suffering Skynet does to people, there are still those low lives that feed on making others suffer." John's face turned red with rage as he spoke, he was barely controlling his anger at what he had just heard.

"Blair, get some people ready to move out in an hour, we have to stop this crap from happening, I am sick of this kind of shit going on." John spat out and he clenched his fists in anger.

"Yes Sir Connor, I'll get right on it." Blair spun around and quickly made her way out of the Mess Hall, not willing to waste a moment's time to get the team ready.

Kate sighed and moved her hand across the table to stroke John's hand, her eyes softened as she tried to calm her husband. She knew he needed to go, but at the same time she always worried he might not come back. She hated to see him leave, but she knew the people needed him.

Gently she took his hand, brought it to her cheek and kissed his knuckles.

John sighed and managed to smile at Kate.

"John, you need to go, those people need you."

"I know Kate, I just wish people would smarten up and fight the real threat, instead of each other." John's smile faded as he spoke the last few words.

John got up, leaned over to kiss Kayla and then Kate. Kayla smiled and waved her hand in a goodbye gesture while saying mostly baby talk and the occasional"Da Da", Kate also smiled, but it failed to hide her sadness at seeing her love leave yet again.

"John, be careful out there, we want you back here safe and sound" Kate spoke as her eyes started to well up with tears. It always tore her up to see her husband leave, she never knew if she was ever going to see him again.

John smiled back, fully knowing Kate didn't want him to go, but he had to go help, he had to stop this craziness from continuing, someone had to stand up for these people.

"I'll be back before you know it sweetheart" John smiled and quickly turned to leave, his eyes glossing over from fighting back the emotions he was now feeling.

Kate's eyes welled up, but she kept up a brave face as best she could, watching her husband go off into danger, yet again. She gazed at him until he exited the doorway and turned the corner.

Looking back at Kayla, Kate smiled and held out her hands, without hesitation, the little girl lifted her arms up and smiled. Kate leaned over and picked up Kayla "C'mon sweetheart, lets go find something for you to do" She kissed the little girl and headed out of the Mess Hall towards their room.

As John made his way out of the Mess hall and over to the armory to gather supplies he would need, he thought about how his day was shaping up._ I was right, today is going to be a long day._ Suddenly he felt very tired, the weight of everything happening was starting to take its toll on him.

John took in a deep breath and quickened his pace to the armory.

* * *

**LA, same morning.**

Derek awoke with a stiff neck, the result from sleeping at an awkward angle and from not getting enough sleep, not to mention a backpack makes a poor pillow.

He glanced around at his surroundings, in the early morning light, things still looked colorless and pale inside this collapsed parking garage.

Derek stretched and twisted to get the kinks out of his body, reaching into his backpack, he grabbed some dried meat and stale crackers he had taken with him. Feeling thirsty he grabbed his canteen and swallowed some warmish water to help wash down the dry food.

Wiping his chin, Derek pondered over what he needed to do next. _I should get these people over to some other safe place, maybe another bunker nearby, but which one?_

Deciding it was no good to just sit around, Derek decided to get up and stretch his legs for a bit. He slowly and quietly made his way back to the entrance the group came through last night. He decided to go outside and look around at the surroundings, and to get some fresh air. _Maybe a little walk outside will clear my mind and I can figure out where I need to go to next._

Derek made his way outside to take in the view by day.

The sights before him were of complete desolation and destruction, the usual sights seen in the LA area. He made his way out to a pile of rubble, so he could get a better view of the area. Upon climbing up and looking around, Derek managed to get his bearings.

_Hammerhead bunker should be close by, towards the East. _Derek mused over the exact whereabouts of Hammerhead, as he had only been there once before. What he did know was that it was a resistance outpost of that mysterious leader known as John Connor.

He had never met the man, but had heard plenty about him and his daring attack on Skynet Central, in San Francisco a couple of years back.

That was it then, he would take his group of survivors to Hammerhead, tell the resistance what had happened and maybe manage to get some help.

Derek quickly made his way back to the temporary hideout to get the group ready to leave. He slipped between the pillars and crept inside the hideout.

Looking about, Derek realized there was no need to be quiet, as most of the group had arisen and was in the process of either eating or gathering up items to be stowed away for the day's journey.

"Listen up people, I have a plan to get us to a safe place, but it will require everyone to pay attention" Derek looked around, making sure he had everyone's attention.

"We are going to go to Hammerhead, it's a bunker over to the East and it is part of Connor's resistance. I've heard good things about this John Connor and I think we can trust his people"

Derek's gaze was met by looks of approval, many people knew of John Connor and what he had done to Skynet in San Francisco. Besides, after what had happened to them, this would be their best chance to get help and to escape being caught by either Skynet, or the dreadful Raiders.

"If there aren't any questions, then I suggest we get moving, it will be a long walk"

Looking around at the people, Derek waited to see if anyone was going to protest, but it seemed like everyone was in agreement to follow him to safety. Quickly he went over to his spot, grabbed his backpack and made his way out of the hideaway. the others in the group finished gathering up their things and moved out to follow Derek to hopefully a safer place.

* * *

**Crystal Peak **

John was waiting outside by one of the Hummers, his gear already packed away in back of the vehicle. He looked over to see Blair and Kyle make their way out from behind a tent pitched up outside for sheltering vehicles from being seen from up above.

Not that it mattered too much, as Skynet seemed to be uninterested in Crystal Peak, and the small village of refugees camped outside the facility.

"Connor, we're ready to go, if you are" Blair called out as she and Kyle made their way closer to the Hummer.

"How many volunteered Blair?" John asked

"We've got thirty people, including you, me and Kyle"

"Good, we are taking two Strykers, three Humvees, Two M-35's and some supplies to Hammerhead." John looked relieved at finding out he was traveling with a fair sized force for the investigation into the attacks on human hideouts by others, and possible rescue of any survivors.

"Ahhh, look who's joining the party Connor." Kyle was pointing towards the back end of the line of vehicles, and he had a huge grin on his face.

John looked over to see what Kyle was all worked up over, right away he had figured out why Kyle was grinning.

Among others coming, John could see Melissa Webster sauntering up to the vehicles.

Her blond locks tied up into a pony tail and a baseball cap with an _I'd rather be fishin'_

slogan written across the front. She was wearing her ass kicker boots, DCU pants and jacket, but wore a black T-shirt, three sizes too small. John smiled and shook his head. _She must be out trolling for a fresh man to chew up and spit out._

Melissa stopped in front of John and smiled. "Hey there Connor, I signed up for this little trip to the city. When do we leave?"

"As soon as we get everyone loaded up and settled into the vehicles Webster, you can ride with Blair, Kyle and me." John answered.

"You can sit with me Melissa" Kyle squeaked out.

Melissa smiled and nodded to Kyle. Quickly he spun around to give John the thumbs up sign and scurried into the Humvee.

Blair looked over at Melissa, her eyes starting from Melissa's feet up to her head and stopped. "Aren't you all dressed to kill Webster, you planning on capturing a fresh recruit for your harem of men?"

"Nah, I got plenty of dumbasses falling over each other to get into my pants, it's just not challenging any more." Melissa winked at Blair. " Besides, yer lookin fine today Williams. If I wasn't mistaken, I'd say it was you out on the hunt for a man."

Blair shook her head and spun around to climb into the Hummer. John thought he heard her mumble something about Melissa being a mega heartbreaker and too hot for her own good.

_I'm not going to say a thing, I'll just sit back and watch the drama unfold. _John smiled to himself and climbed into the drivers' seat.

Most of the other volunteers had arrived and were already settled into their respective vehicle. John looked forward and to the rear of the convoy, grabbed the mic to the secure radio channel and barked out the order to move out.

Just like in the old days at the car races, vehicles sputtered and crackled to life, engines revved up, and black smoke billowed out from the exhaust pipes.

John turned the key, fired up his vehicle and put it into gear. Looking over at Blair, he smiled, grabbed his sunglasses from the dash and put them on. "Okay, let's move out"

"Ready when you are Connor" Blair winked and slid her sunglasses onto her face.

Slowly the convoy made its way down the dirt road, away from Crystal Peak, Southwest towards the remnants of Los Angeles. If all went well, John figured they would be at Hammerhead within a couple of hours.


	6. Chapter 5: Will You Join Me ?

**Chapter 5: Will You Join Me?**

**LA, Near Hammerhead Bunker.**

Derek wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the cuff of his jacket. The long trek to Hammerhead had been a constant struggle for the rag tag group of survivors, including him. If it wasn't the constant climbing and doubling back to wind their way to the bunker, it was the hiding out from potential marauders and thieves, stalking the ruins of the city.

What got Derek wondering was the lack of Skynet presence in and around the city. It was not like Skynet to not have any machines patrolling for, or attacking scattered groups of people. It had been months since he saw any of the Aerostats buzzing around, and the 600's were few and far between, it was as if Skynet was pulling back its forces.

The other nagging question that kept popping up in Derek's mind was to do with Allison.

He was afraid of losing her, just like he had with Kyle. _I'm praying for you Allie, don't worry I am coming for you soon, just hang in there. I'll find a way to get you back safe._ His eyes began to get watery as he thought about how she must be at her wits end.

Derek looked back to make sure all were following close behind, he didn't want to hold up the group to go back and look for any stragglers. Mentally he made a head count to make sure all were present and accounted for. Including him, there were a dozen people.

Everyone kept up with the pace, the breaks they took to rest and eat were few and far between. Most, like Derek, wanted to get to the bunker and its protection it offered, as quickly as possible.

The small group of twelve trudged along their way towards sanctuary, most of them hoping they would get the help and safety they needed, some praying the worst was over now.

* * *

**On Route from Crystal Peak to Hammerhead bunker**

John was tired and his muscles were beginning to ache. They had been traveling for over five hours along a road that was more like an obstacle course that a major highway.

Sections of the road were littered with vehicles of various shapes and sizes, remnants of a last ditch effort of people trying to escape the carnage happening in LA.

He glanced away from driving to locate his water canteen, grabbed it and popped the lid to take a gulp of the cool liquid. Re- closing the lid, John kept his eyes on the road and dropped the canteen beside his seat.

"Are we there yet?" Melissa called out from the back.

John looked into the rear view mirror into the eyes of an obviously bored looking Melissa and a soundly sleeping Kyle. He smiled, "_Are we there yet" reminds me of when I was a kid riding with Mom._

"We're almost there Melissa, another twenty minutes and we'll be in what is left of LA"

Blair had been busy looking out of her window, not paying any attention to what was being said.

"Earth to Blair, anybody home?" John called over to her.

"I was just thinking about things Connor." She quietly said, her eyes fixed on the desolate landscape. She was in a melancholy mood and not interested in having a big conversation.

"Oh really, what's on your mind Williams?"

"It's just sad to see all those wrecked vehicles scattered about on the road. To think they all had people inside of them, trying to run away to safety." Blair closed her eyes for a second, she fought back the tears that were glossing up her eyes.

John thought for a moment, mulling over what she had just said.

"Allot has happened since J Day Williams, we can't dwell on the past, it hurts too much.

We need to think of what is going on now and we need to make sure we can stop Skynet from gaining the upper hand and killing everyone. But first, we need to stop those people bent on killing others. We will never win this war if we continue to fight amongst ourselves."

"You're right Connor, no one will survive if they fight each other. Skynet will end up winning the war." Blair had looked over to John, her face filled with grief and sadness.

"You guys need to lighten up a bit, not all people are bad ya know. There are still good people around, present company included." Melissa had chosen to add her two cents worth to the conversation. She had her long legs stretched out between the two front seats and her cap pulled slightly down to provide some shade from the daylight.

"Yes Webster, you are just a shining example of humanity, out trolling for a fresh man to conquer." Blair shot back, with just a hint of sarcasm, her head turned to face Melissa as she spoke, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Well we all need some love Williams, and I intend to find that elusive man, even if it takes me years." Melissa shot back, a small smile playing upon her lips.

"Ladies, ladies, save it for later, you're giving me a headache." John smiled as decided to add his own words of wisdom.

"Easy for you to say, you have a sweetie to go home to. Blair and I are on a time clock here, we need to find a man before we get too old and ugly."

"Speak for yourself Webster, I'll have no problem landing a good man." Blair replied with confidence.

"You willing to bet on that Williams?" Melissa asked.

"Sure, what you got in mind? _Blondie_"

"How bout a months worth of booze rations to the first to land a man, _Flygirl_"

"How about three months, _Stretch_"

"Oh you are on babe, let's shake on it." Melissa leaned forward and spit into her palm and stretched her hand to the front seat area.

Blair spit into hers and shook hands with Melissa, sealing the deal.

"Connor, you are our witness, right?" Blair had a playful grin on her face.

"Yeah, sure I'll be the witness. But my word is final on who the winner is, no cheating and no crying when you are deemed the loser, okay?"

"Yes sir." both girls answered in unison, then they both burst out laughing.

Kyle was still sleeping but grumbled some incoherent words about being disturbed, then he shifted position to get more comfortable and fell right back into his slumber.

John just shook his head and went back to weaving his way around the various obstacles on the road, he was glad Melissa was able to lighten up the mood in the truck.

It was only a matter of minutes before they would arrive at Hammerhead.

* * *

**LA, near Hammerhead bunker**

Derek stopped and looked up to see the skeletal remains of an old apartment block about two hundred meters from where he stood. The building was about five stories high and was barely standing. It was one of the few structures still defying nature, a little worse for wear, but still holding its own. This was the landmark he was looking for, as this meant they were almost at Hammerhead.

Derek held up his fist to signal the group to stop, then he turned around to face them.

"Okay people, its about five more minutes and we should be at Hammerhead." He whispered. "Everyone keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary and let me know if you see or hear something."

Knowing the importance of staying alert and safe, the members of this little group all nodded their understanding.

Derek nodded back and turned towards the landmark, cautiously making his way through a clear ally way. Quietly, the others followed behind him, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.

Once they had reached the apartment block, the group stopped to take a break and rest.

Derek glanced in all directions, trying to pin point a familiar spot to help lead them to the entrance to Hammerhead Bunker.

It was a moment later Derek thought he heard the faint sound of vehicles traveling towards them from the Northwest.

"Everybody into the building and take cover." Derek called out urgently while pointing to the main floor of the apartment block.

The group funneled into the windowless building, some finding hiding spots behind overturned furniture, others went into some rooms deeper inside, or behind sections of wall.

Derek crouched just inside the main entrance, warily eying the roadway to the North.

_It sounds like they are coming from the North. Must be a supply run, or something. _He thought to himself.

Moments later he spotted the lead vehicle rumble into view.

_Looks military, a Hummer?_

Eventually the other vehicles came into view, two more Hummers, two large military transport trucks, and three Strykers. It was an impressive sight to see.

_This must be some sort of supply run for Hammerhead._

It was at that moment that Derek felt he should take a chance and show himself.

_Better to show myself now, than run up behind and risk getting shot._

Derek tossed his weapons over towards the older couple huddled beside him.

"You two watch the weapons, I'm going to see if I can get any help from this convoy. If anything happens to me, stay hidden until they are gone and then head South. You should reach Hammerhead, or one of their patrols within a few blocks."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the older man asked.

"This might be our best chance to get help and I'm willing to take it." Derek smiled nervously and stood up to go meet his fate.

………………………………

John had slowed down his vehicle to navigate around some obstacles on the roadway.

They were only about a kilometer or so from the Bunker and he was glad the trip was almost over. It had been a long and tiresome ride to LA.

Once they had arrived at the outskirts of LA, John had alerted Blair to keep on the lookout for any signs of danger. Both Skynet and the gangs of raiders, were a threat to the convoy.

As his truck edged closer to the dilapidated apartment block, John saw some movement.

"Williams, ten 'o'clock."

"I see him Connor, he has his hands up. Should we stop?"

"Yeah, I'll signal the others to stop and be prepared for anything." John stopped his Hummer, picked up the mic and informed the other vehicles of the situation. The whole convoy ground to a halt, people jumped out to take up defensive positions around the vehicles.

Kyle sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Are we at Hammerhead?"

"No Kyle, some one has flagged us down to stop." John answered.

"Ya Kyle, go back to sleep, you need all the beauty rest you can get." Melissa chuckled and tousled Kyles' hair.

"Gee thanks Mel." Kyle blushed.

"No problem short stuff" Melissa said with a wink.

Blair jumped out of the truck as soon as it had stopped. She leaned over the front fender and raised her Remington pump action shotgun to her shoulder, making sure she had a clear shot at the lone man standing.

"That's close enough." She called to him. "What do you want?"

"My name is Derek and I am looking for help. There was an attack last night, downtown at the subway shelter. Some raiders ended up killing people, stealing food, items and kidnapping some friends."

"How do we know you are telling the truth?" Blair asked as she kept her shotgun trained on his chest.

The mention of Dereks' name caused Kyle to sit up. He looked to his left, out through the front windshield, that's when his heart leapt into his throat.

"Its Derek." He whispered.

"Well ya Einstein, he already said his name." Melissa quipped back.

"No, its my brother, my Derek." Kyle opened his door, sprung out and ran towards his brother.

"Reese, get back in the damn truck." Blair yelled out angrily.

The lone figure in the middle of the road looked at Kyle, his face went blank with disbelief.

"Kyle, is that really you?" Dereks' hands dropped to his side.

"DEREK" Kyle yelled, as he ran up to his brother, tears of joy were running down his cheeks. Kyle wrapped his arms around his brother.

Derek started to cry, he was overwhelmed by emotion of seeing Kyle for the first time in years.

"Kyle, you dumbass, I've been worried sick about you. Its been over two years since you went missing." Derek choked back the tears as he spoke to his brother. "I was worried I had lost you forever."

"You know me better than that." Kyle whispered.

They both stepped back to get a better look at each other.

"You've grown Kyle, but yer still shorter than me."

"Not for long bro, I'll catch up." Kyle beamed

Kyle turned towards Blair. "This is my brother Blair."

"No Kiddin, I would have never guessed." Blair smiled,shook her head and lowered her gun.

John and Melissa both climbed out of the truck and walked over to meet Kyles' brother.

Kyle quickly wiped his tears with his sleeve and began introductions.

"Derek, these are my friends. Blair is the one with the shotgun." Kyle pointed towards the truck. "This is Melissa Webster, a real heartbreaker." Kyle smiled at Melissa, she winked back and smiled.

"Finally, this is John Connor." Kyle looked over to John. "The man that saved my ass from Skynet."

Derek looked over at John and smiled, he held out his hand to shake Johns'. "Pleasure to meet you sir, I've heard allot about you and your fight against Skynet. Thank you for saving my brothers ass." John smiled and shook Dereks' hand warmly, then he had a thought.

_So this would be my uncle then. I'll need to tell Kate about this._

"It was my pleasure to save Kyles' ass, as well as kick Skynets ass."

Derek looked over to where he had the others hiding. "Okay everyone, its safe to come out now."

John and the others looked over to see Dereks' little group slowly and carefully make their way out of the building to join up with the vehicles.

Kyle looked over to Derek. "Where's Allison?"

Dereks' face fell and Kyle knew there was something wrong.

"Did something happen Derek?"

"Yes Kyle, she got taken by the raiders. We were attacked last night and I couldn't get to her in time to save her. This is why we came here to Hammerhead, to try to get help."

John thought for a moment and then spoke up. "This is interesting, we were actually coming into the city for just that reason. I had heard of these gangs causing trouble, its something we really can't have happening, especially with Skynet still around. We are here to find out what we can do and to figure out how to stop all this fighting amongst people. Its Skynet we need to fight, not each other."

"Connor sir, these gangs don't care about anything but themselves. They Kill. Steal, and sell anything to get ahead. Usually they take only the women and children and end up killing the men. This is what they did last night." Derek looked at John, his eyes filled with pain and sorrow.

John mulled over what had been said, then he looked straight into Dereks' eyes. "Reese, I need help in finding these bastards, will you join us?"

"No need to ask Sir, I was planning to go save Allison anyways, I just needed to get these people to a safe place." Derek smiled, "Seems fate put me in the right place at the right time."

John smiled back at Derek. "Reese, get your people into those trucks back there. We'll get settled into Hammerhead and figure out just how we will go about helping the others that got taken."

Derek looked over to his group and motioned for them to get into the trucks. Although he was still desperately worried about Allison, he felt much better now that he had help from Connor and his Resistance fighters. Even better, he was now re-united with his baby brother. All that remained was to rescue Allison and the rest of the kidnapped people.

Melissa leaned in to whisper to Kyle. "Hey Reese, your brother single? He's really cute."

"Hell if I know, I haven't seen him for over a couple of years." Kyle shrugged his shoulders.

"Well if he is, put in a good word for me, will ya?" Melissa playfully squeezed Kyle's arm before she turned to get into the truck

Kyle got back into his side of the truck, Melissa sat right beside him, but in the middle and scooted over to make room for Derek to sit beside her.

"You can sit right here, don't worry, I won't bite." Melissa smiled and patted the seat.

Derek lifted his eyebrow and looked at his brother. Kyle grinned and gave Derek the thumbs up sign.

Seeing it must be safe, Derek slid in beside Melissa and closed the door.

Melissa looked over at Derek and lightly bit her lip._ His eyes are so blue and he has a cute smile, hmmmmm, I can't let this one get away._

Derek looked over, fully aware he was being studied. He smiled warmly at Melissa, she smiled back and casually let her hand slip closer to his leg, just barely touching it.

At the same moment, Blair casually turned and looked back, pretending to be looking for something.

"Kyle, is there a spare canteen of water back there? Mines empty" Blair leaned further into the back seat area, her shirt strangely buttoned lower than usual, showing a hint of her cleavage and part of a black lacy bra as she leaned over the seat back.

Melissa huffed and gave Blair a dirty look.

"Yeah I'm sure we have a few spares back here Blair." Kyle noticed Blair had taken an interest in his brother, he knew Derek must be the victim that the girls were going after first. Leaning back behind him, Kyle grabbed a water canteen and passed it over to Blair.

"Thank You Kyle."

"No probs Blair."

Derek's eyes widened and he swallowed hard as he couldn't help but notice what Blair was doing. He just wasn't sure if she had done it on purpose, or by accident. _She is hot and she has a black bra on? _Derek said to his self.

Blair looked over at Derek, catching his admiring stare. She smiled, winked at him and took the Canteen ever so slowly and turned to face forward.

"You okay Williams?" John asked.

"I'm fine Connor, just thirsty." Blair grinned at John and winked.

John knew right away what was happening. He looked into the rear view mirror and noticed Melissa was almost on top of poor Derek, she managed to get her arm around him and had wiggled closer to him. Derek didn't know what to do so he just sat very still with a puzzled look on his face.

"It's so cramped in here, I hope you don't mind me being so close Derek." Melissa smiled and looked away, trying her best to look shy and innocent.

" Um, no problem at all Miss Webster."

"Oh, you can call me Melissa." Melissa batted her baby blue eyes at Derek and smiled once again.

Kyle smiled and shook his head, then he turned to glance out the window, still smiling. _Looks like Derek is in deep trouble now, but maybe it'll be good for him to have a girl friend, or two. _

John gave the order over the radio to start rolling, the convoy began its final leg of the trip to Hammerhead Bunker.

It wouldn't be long to get there and John had plans to get right back on the road to track down those responsible for causing all the trouble. Time was of the up most importance now, the raiders had a head start and he needed to catch them before the trail grew cold.

First thing to do was to get these people settled in, the supplies delivered and make sure he had everyone briefed on what was going to happen next. If he was lucky, he could scrounge up a few more resistance troops from Hammerhead and hunt down these gangsters.

It was time again, to go kick some ass and save some ass.


	7. Chapter 6:Cruel World

A Brief note - There is some strong language in this chapter, as well as adult themes and hints at situations that may not be suitable to all readers.

Again, this story is done for fun and I do not own anything to do with Terminator, or TSCC. I do own my characters I create, and the story I am writing.

I'd like to thank those that helped me with this chapter....you guys know who you are !!

I'd also like to thank my reviewers, you guys are the greatest!!

This was a tough chapter to do, I hope you will enjoy it.

Moe

**Chapter 6: Cruel World**

Allison had managed to sleep, despite being tousled around in the back of the truck. She was jolted awake when the truck hit a huge dip in the road. It felt like the whole truck was about to tip over, at the last second it regained its balance, but not until it had managed to throw everyone on top of each other.

Two or three bodies had been thrown onto Allison, but once the truck was upright, those bodies managed to roll back into a more comfortable position, not that they were very comfortable in the first place.

Allison wasn't sure how long they had been traveling, but judging by how much her body hurt and how cold she felt, it must have been hours. The fear inside of her had subsided a bit, but it was still knawing at the back of her mind, a little voice reminding her she was on her own now, no help was coming.

The truck made a sudden left turn, flinging bodies all about in the back of the vehicle. Allison could hear groans and crying as people were yet again piled on top of each other. This time it was her turn to be rolled onto someone else, but she managed to roll back to her spot as soon as the truck finished turning.

Now fully awake, Allison noticed the truck was slowing down. _Maybe we finally arrived some where, but where are we? _Allison wondered.

She was getting thirsty now and the bindings on her legs and arms were starting to really hurt her. Whoever tied her up, knew what they were doing, for despite wriggling and tugging at the ropes, Allison could not manage to get her hands free.

_If only I could get out of these ropes, I could escape, be free and go for help._

The truck ground to a halt, other vehicles behind the one she was in also stopped. Allison could hear the high pitched squeal from the brakes as they were applied, the noise made her wince, as it was very irritating to the ears.

Doors opened and slammed shut, as the armed men got out and prepared to offload the spoils of their attack from the vehicles.

Allison could hear Mikey and Bubba laughing and talking as they approached the rear of the truck. The door creaked and complained as it was opened and lowered, she heard rustling and flapping as some sort of covering was pulled aside.

Allison heard sobs and yelps as the raiders started to pull the prisoners out of the truck

It wouldn't be long until it was her turn to be dragged out of the truck. She braced herself for the rough handling she was sure to receive, so it didn't surprise her when she felt the iron grip of Bubbas hand encircle her ankle.

She squeaked and wriggled in protest, but he held on, dragging her tiny form out of the truck and unceremoniously dropping her onto the hard ground with a loud thud. Sore and angry, Allison voiced her disapproval as best she could, considering she was hooded and gagged.

"Damn, this one is a real live wire." Bubba laughed

"She's all spit and vinegar Bubba. It'll be fun to break this one in, won't it?" Mikey wheezed in his nasally whine.

Allison felt hands roam all over her body, she did her best to roll away from them, but it was hopeless as they held onto her and pinned her down. A moment later her hood was taken off.

Piercing bright sunlight flooded her eyes, she squinted and then closed them. The light was all too bright for her to see at the moment. _Well, looks like we musta traveled all night long, but where are we?_

Allison opened her eyes a crack, hoping she would get used to the brightness. It was one of the rare days the sun actually shone this bright, most days it was hidden by either a thin layer of clouds, or completely blocked out by a thick blanket of dark grey puffy clouds. This was all courtesy of Judgment Day and the continuing war with the machines after. Cold summers and even colder winters were the norm now, hot sunny days were a rare treat.

As soon as she had adjusted to the brightness, the sun was blocked out by the hulking figure of the Boss. Allison's heart jumped with fright at the sight of the overgrown beast of a man, he was even more repulsive in the daytime. She turned her head to see if she could recognize anything around her, but she was surrounded by vehicles and people and it didn't help that she was lying on the ground too.

"Good morning sweetness." the Boss leered. "Did you have a nice trip?"

He kneeled down to close to her and removed the dirty rag used to gag her.

"Go fuck yourself." Allison spat out, as soon as the gag was removed.

The Boss leaned back and gave a hearty laugh, his massive stomach shaking while he leaned back a bit and slapped his thigh.

"You're just full of it, aren't you little girl." He leaned in and softly spoke to her. His blue eyes hardened to ice chips and he reached behind her head to grab her hair and pulled tightly, making sure she would not be able to look away. "I have plans for you half pint. You and me are going to get along just fine and after I'm finished with you, the boys will get to play with what ever remains."

Allison's eyes widened with fear, her head was pounding from her hair being pulled, she held her breath, not knowing what to say.

"Awww, yer scared now, huh?" The Boss man smiled at her, showing he had only a few teeth left, the ones left were already turning brown and black.

Allison cringed and tried to look away, fear and repulsion getting the best of her.

The big man leaned in closer to her, she could feel his hot foul breath on her cheek.

"If yer a good girl and co-operate, I won't be too rough with ya. Besides I prefer boys, but yer scrawny enough to do for me." He whispered into her ear and licked her cheek.

"Mmmm you taste just fine to me half pint. Oh, and my real name is Blain, but as you see, every one just calls me Boss, cause that's what I am here. I run this place and anything I take, I own. That includes you too half pint, no ones gonna save you, so don't get any ideas into that pretty head of yours."

The Boss let go of her hair, leaned back smiling from ear to ear, and then he stood up barking some orders to the others standing around.

"Okay you dog fuckers, lets gets these newbies into the compound before some of them try to run off."

With that said Allison was pulled up by her arms and half carried, half dragged off to a partly collapsed building, along with at least a dozen others from the truck they had ridden in.

The old building she was taken to, turned out to be a portion of a shopping mall.

At one time it would have been a multi-level superstructure, with stores and boutiques in every corner you looked. Now, the partially standing store and entrance had been converted into a makeshift prisoner camp, not much more than a roof over ones head.

Allison and the others were now at the mercy of their captors.

They could be bought, sold, or traded for anything and everything the Boss and his hoodlums wanted. Derek had warned her about what could happen if she got caught, and now she was going to find out first hand.

Once they had reached the entrance to the prison, the guards at the makeshift gate proceeded to unlock the chains and swing the door open.

"Welcome to your new home. We call it Valencia Manor, enjoy your stay." The larger guard grinned and extended his arm towards the interior, as if he was welcoming guests to a posh resort. The only problem was, this place was far from a resort, it was more like a filthy hole in the ground.

Allison's hands and feet were unbound, then she was herded in through the gate with the other women and children into the dim smelly room. Rotten food, body odors, and the smell of fresh excrement greeted Allison's nostrils. If her stomach had not been empty, she would have vomited right then and there.

As her eyes adjusted to the room, she noticed it was quite large. _This must have been a big store or something. _She thought as she stumbled further inside.

Instead of large windows, the now open gaps were filled with pieces of steel rebar and wire mess to keep the captives in, but still allow some meager sunlight and ventilation through to the room's interior.

Inside there were some shelves, dividers and counters left behind from when the store had been open. Everything that could be moved easily was placed in a way so as to provide some privacy to those that were trapped inside. Some areas were sectioned off and others were completely blocked off so as to prevent anyone from escaping.

The further Allison looked in, the darker the area got. She figured it was close to fifty meters deep and about half as wide, judging by the smells and flies, this large room was used for captives all the time.

Yelling and cursing from the entrance caught Allison's attention.

She turned towards the gate to see Bubba and Mikey struggling with a blond haired girl.

The hair and clothing on the girl looked familiar to her, but Allison wasn't sure, so she walked closer to the entrance and peered through a barricade. _Is that Amanda? It sure looks like her. _Allison thought to herself as she squinted to get a better look, actually she was hoping it was Mandy, she was feeling very lonely at that moment.

"Let go of me, you freaks." The blond yelled out, all while desperately trying to break free from the two gangsters iron grip.

Bubba and Mikey just laughed and dragged the girl closer to the gate.

"Looks like we got us another live one Mikey." Bubba chuckled

Right at that moment, the girl managed to get her foot in front of Bubba's leg, tripping him up and throwing him off balance enough to let go of her arm. With her hand free, the girl made a fist and wound up to clobber Mikey on the side of his head. Instantly he yelped and let go of her arm, clutching his ear for dear life.

Now free, the girl made a run for the trucks. _Damn, she's probably going to try to take one and break out of here. _Allison watched anxiously as the girl ran full speed towards the group of vehicles. She prayed the girl would get away.

It wasn't long before one of the guards chased the blond girl down and tackled her to the ground.

Once they were both down, the guard swiftly punched the back of the young girls' head, whereby she almost instantly went limp.

Two more guards strode up to help the first one up, then the guards grabbed the girl by her legs and dragged her limp body across the ground back to the gate entrance.

Her head and upper back were scraping in the dirt as the men pulled her along.

"Back away from the gate or you'll get the same as this one did." One of the guards barked out as they maneuvered the unconscious blond into the room.

Once inside, her lifeless body was dumped onto the floor, then the guards turned and left.

Bubba and Mikey were outside nursing their wounds, and complaining about the crazy blond girl.

The other guards laughed and made comments about the two men being weaklings and getting their asses kicked by a girl.

Allison smirked to herself as she walked over and knelt down to help the girl. _I'm glad she almost got away and those two assholes deserved getting hurt._

Allison turned the girl over, brushed the dirt and loose hair from the dazed blond's face, then her eyes widened and she and gasped. _Shit, it is Mandy._

Allison looked around for help. "Is there any water here?" She asked.

"Yes, I'll get some for you." A young girl with jet black hair answered.

The girl ran off to the left and then returned a moment later with some water in a tin cup

Allison smiled at her, took the cup and thanked her. She tore a strip off the bottom of her shirt, dipped it in some water and wiped Amanda's face. Soon the girl stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

Bringing her hand up, Amanda gently rubbed the back of her head.

"Ohhh, my head is pounding."

"Shhhh, just lay down, you'll be okay in a minute or two." Allison smiled and dabbed the wet cloth over Amanda's face.

With the fogginess finally leaving Amanda's head and her eyes adjusting to the dim light, she was able to see who it was that had been taking care of her.

"Allie?"

"Mandy." Allison looked down and smiled at her friend.

"Is that really you Allie?"

"Of course it is silly, who else would call you Mandy?"

Amanda leaned up, wrapped her arms around Allison and pulled her into a big hug.

Allison dropped the cup of water and hugged Amanda back.

Both girls held onto each other tightly.

"Allie, I thought you were either dead, or you had escaped with Derek." Amanda whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

They broke their embrace and Allison looked into Amanda's eyes.

"Mandy, we were escaping, but I was the last to get out of the tunnel and before it was my turn to go out the escape hatch, I got caught by these dickheads." Allison whispered back. "I tried to shoot, but my rifle jammed. I panicked, then I took out my nine mil and shot at them, but they tossed a flash bang and it fucked me right up. I couldn't see or hear anything and before I knew it, they had me. How'd you get caught?"

Amanda thought for a moment, then she spoke. "I was still at lookout, when I heard the explosion and gunfire. I got all messed up and I wasn't sure what to do, so I ran down the stairs to the ground floor to see what was happening. That's when some guy came from behind and knocked me down. Before I knew what was happening, the guy had me tied up, gagged, and hooded, I never knew what hit me. Then I was loaded onto some truck and ended up here with you."

Allison let out a sigh, thought for a moment and smiled at Amanda. "Well now we have each other and I know Derek will be looking for us too. All we need to do is stick together and figure out how to get out of here."

"Easier said than done girls." An older women approached the two girls, she had long auburn hair, was dressed in dirty sweat pants and a faded black t-shirt. She looked tired and her clothes barely clung onto her thin frame.

"What do you mean by that?" Amanda asked with a hint of annoyance from finding out they were being eavesdropped upon by this woman.

"Look, here's how it is. We are prisoners here girls and Club V is our new home, and no matter how hard you two try, there is no escape. These guys will kill you if you piss them off enough, you are nothing to them but playthings, or something to trade for a new shiny gun. Just do what they say and want and you two will stay alive." The woman's gray eyes had a flash of sadness as she told the girls what to expect, she was dead serious about their predicament.

"Playthings?" Allison asked.

"Yes playthings, you know, for sex and stuff." The woman replied nonchalantly.

"Club V?" Amanda wasn't sure what Club V meant.

"Yeah, Club V. This place, we like to call it Club V, instead of Club Valencia or Valencia Manor." The woman motioned with her hand to the surroundings they were trapped in.

"Oh, and by the way, there is no way anyone is going to touch us." Amanda added as she pointed to herself and Allison.

"You'll find out soon enough ladies." The woman replied. "Both of you are young and pretty, so you two will be high on the list to go party with the Boss and his top gang members. Those guys don't take no for an answer, they'll just beat you, then do what they want anyways." She shook her head in disbelief over the two girls thinking they could be safe, or escape. "My names Becky by the way and I'm sorry you two got caught, but I just want to let you know what kind of mess you girls are in. We all are in this mess together and the best we can do is give comfort to each other and pray some one does come to help us."

The two girls looked at each other in disbelief, then looked at Becky. Allison spoke up first. "So you're saying we are going to be sex slaves?"

"Yep."

"We might be traded for guns?" Amanda asked, her eyes were wide with fear.

"Maybe guns, or food, or something else like a radio that works." Becky answered back.

"Aw fuck, we are totally screwed Allie." Amanda put her head in her hands.

"NO Mandy, we are not screwed. Derek will find us, I know he will." Allison put her arm around Amanda to comfort her. "We are not going to let those smelly fuckers near us. I will die fighting before any of them touches me, or you."

"You two can do what you want, but don't forget I warned you." Becky wagged her finger at the girls and then turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, by the way, there are some mattresses over in the far right corner, find one that isn't too dirty and you can use it to sleep on. There might be a couple of blankets too, but don't get your hopes up. Feeding time here will be soon, they feed us daily, in the afternoon. It isn't much, but it'll keep you alive."

"Thanks for the heads up Becky, by the way my name is Allison and this is Amanda." Allison pointed to herself and then to Amanda.

The older women smiled weakly then spoke. "Pleased to meet you two, it's too bad it's in this shithole." Then she turned and walked off to an old display counter to sit with some other women on a mattress that was beside it.

Allison drew in and then blew out a large puff of air, it didn't help, she still felt like they needed to plan some way of getting out, even if Becky had said it was useless. _First we need to get some rest. My back is killing me from that ride here and I bet Amanda's head is still hurting. _She looked over at Amanda and smiled. _ Thank you God for sending a friend to be with me, but please help Derek find us and keep us safe too. _She finished her silent prayer and stood up.

"C'mon Mandy, lets find us a bed and grab some sleep. My back is killing me from being slammed around in the truck." Holding out her hand to Amanda, Allison smiled and tilted her head towards the place where Becky had told them to look for a mattress.

Amanda stretched her hand out, grabbed onto Allison's hand and pulled herself up to stand. Feeling a bit wobbly, she put her arm around Allison for extra support.

Allison smiled again, put her arm around Amanda and gave her friend a comforting squeeze. "You and me, we'll be fine Mandy, I promise. We can look out for each other, okay?"

"Okay Allie, together we can kick butt and show those fuckers just how tough we can be. That's if my head stops pounding." Amanda was rubbing the back of her head, but spoke with new found confidence and energy. Her spirits lifted by Allison's little pep talk.

Making their way to the pile of mattresses and clothing, Allison and Amanda managed to locate a mattress that was still in one piece. They dragged it over to a clear spot on the floor and Amanda plunked herself down on it.

It was while bouncing on it and testing it out for comfort, that a cloud of dust rose up from the old mattress, prompting Allison and Amanda to cough and choke.

"Pretty dusty, but it'll do." Allison choked out while waving her arms around to clear away the clouds of dust.

"Anything's better than the bare floor Allie." Amanda chirped out while stretching out onto her back and putting her harm behind her head to cradle the sore spot.

Allison noticed Amanda wince in pain when she did that. Thinking quickly, she ran over to the pile of clothes and grabbed something to fashion into a makeshift pillow.

Returning to Amanda, Allison gingerly tucked the item behind Amanda's head.

"Thanks Allie." Amanda smiled warmly and yawned. Suddenly she felt very tired.

Allison was feeling drained too, so she curled up beside Amanda and wrapped an arm around her.

Feeling a bit safer now, the two girls drifted off to sleep.

……………………………………………

It felt like only seconds, but it was closer to a couple of hours, when the girls were startled awake by a loud truck with no exhaust, the rumble it made roused everyone from their spots.

It was feeding time, just like Becky had said.

A two wheeled utility trailer was being towed behind the noisy truck and in the trailer was a large drum with a dolly attached, so the drum could be moved with ease. Beside the drum was a crate filled with tin cups, spoons and bowls. Off the back of the truck were two older women sitting on the edge of the tailgate, dangling their legs off the end and looking very bored.

The truck and trailer stopped at the gate entrance, the two women jumped off the tailgate and ambled over to the back of the trailer. They unloaded the drum and crate, dragged the awkward items through the open gate stopping just inside the store front.

Both Allison and Amanda had not eaten for a while and their stomachs were rumbling as soon as they could smell the food. Women and children gathered around the drum and crate, waiting for the food to be dished out. It was then that Allison took a head count of how many were actually in the makeshift cell block. _About fifty women and children it looks like. _She thought to herself.

She was glad Derek had taken the time to teach her how to count and read a little bit. She smiled to herself, remembering how Derek had taught her to read by using comic books, magazines, and old packages of food. Counting was always easier, as Derek always made it a game for her.

Allison was pulled out of her daydream by Amanda making a comment.

"I never knew there were so many of us here."

"If they hadn't of shot all the men, there would have been more of us." Allison mused.

"Why did they shoot the men?"

"Probably cause they figured the men were more of a threat to them, besides its easier to bully women and children." she replied nonchalantly.

"I'm pretty sure my parents just left me, when I was little, just so they didn't have to feed me." Amanda said with a sigh.

"It's their loss Mandy, cuz now yer with me Girlfriend." Allison wrapped her arm around Amanda's neck, mimicking a choke hold and ruffling her scraggly hair. Amanda grinned, pulled Allison's arm off her shoulder but held onto her friends' hand.

"I wish you were my sister Allie." Amanda locked her blue eyes onto Allison's, a whisper of sadness showing in them.

"You are my sister Mandy, together forever." Allison beamed back, her smile melting away any doubt in Amanda's mind.

"You're the best Allie, now lets go eat."

Both girls ended up at the back of the line, up near the large drum of food. By the smell of it, they were going to have some sort of stew.

The two women stood by the crate and drum, one handing out bowls and spoons, while the other stirred and served the meal. The two women never looked at anyone in the eye, it was as if they were just zombies, brought there to do just one task. There was no small talk, no smiles, just a certain air of dread around them as they went about their task.

When it was Amanda and Allison's turn, they both smiled and thanked the women, but were met with puzzled stares back. Then the woman serving the stew spoke up.

"Girls, you don't have to thank us, we're all in the same boat here. Dana and me just do what we're told, so we don't get beat up. You two should do the same, yer pretty and young and if you be nice to the men here, they'll treat you well enough, 'till they get bored with ya."

"We don't plan to stick around here long lady, we plan to get the hell out of here ASAP." Amanda spoke up, looking straight at the woman with cold determination in her eyes.

"There is no escape from here girly. You either get traded, die, or they take you into their bed. That's it, nuthin more, you don't get to leave by choice." The woman responded angrily, her fingers tightening around the ladle turning her knuckles white. "Dana and me have been here at Club V for a few months now, we tried to leave, but all it got us was a whole lotta hurt. Show her Dana."

The other woman called Dana looked up and over to her friend, she shook her head. "No, they don't need to see. You told them Kim."

"Just turn around and show them Dana, they need to see so they don't do something stupid." The woman named Kim twirled her finger in a circle.

Dana sighed, turned and pulled up the back of her shirt.

Allison and Amanda gasped at the sight of Dana's back.

No longer was the skin smooth, it was littered with slash marks and welts still trying to heal. Puss was oozing out of some of the wounds and scars were forming where other slash marks were finally healing.

"Oh my God, Wh…What did they do to you?" Amanda was shocked at the sight.

"I got whipped." Dana replied, there was no emotion in her voice, but her head hung a little lower.

"Why did they do it?"

"I tried to escape from here, so they beat me then whipped me. They told me next time they would just shoot me and feed me to the dogs." Dana pulled her shirt down and turned to the girls, a single tear was rolling down her cheek. "You two, don't you try it, don't try to run, they'll just hurt you real bad."

The two girls stood and stared at Dana, the full weight of what would happen to them finally sinking in. Without any further words, they turned and went back to their spot to eat alone.

Allison finished her stew, it had been bland, but at least it was filling. She wasn't sure, but it tasted like dog, coyote, or something like that. It was hard to tell when everything was thrown into a pot and boiled.

Alison looked up at Amanda and noticed she was deep in thought.

"Hey you, what's up?" She asked.

"Nuthin Allie, just thinking about stuff." Amanda was busy playing with her spoon in the now empty bowl.

"Stuff?"

"Yeah stuff."

"Like what?" Allison was puzzled that Amanda was not talking, it wasn't like Amanda to be so quiet.

Amanda placed her bowl and spoon on the ground and looked up at Allison. "Allie, I'm scared about what will happen to us. I've never been with anyone and I was waiting for the right guy. I don't want to be with some dirty greaseball, the thought makes me sick."

"Mandy, don't lose faith. I know we will find a way to get out of here. Don't listen to what Kim and Dana said, they don't know how tough we are." Allison tried to reassure Amanda as best she could, but deep down she was scared too. She didn't want to be a slave, or get traded away and never see Derek or her friends, she wanted to get out before it was too late.

The others had finished their meals and started back to the crate to put the bowls and spoons away. No one said much, not even the children, it was as if they all knew what was about to happen.

The air was thick with fear, dread, and panic.

Dana and Kim gathered up the drum and crate, dragging the items back out of the store.

The gate was closed, the two women placed the drum and crate back onto the trailer and climbed onto the back of the truck box.

The truck fired up and pulled away, its loud exhaust making dust from the ceiling drop down onto the captives below.

Amanda looked over at Allison and smiled.

"What's so funny?" Allison asked, her eyebrow lifting up in question.

"Yer goin' grey Allie." Amanda smirked and pointed to Allison's head.

Dust had settled on top of her chestnut locks, making is seem like she had aged thirty years. Allison quickly shook and patted her head, running fingers through to ensure as much of the debris was gone as possible.

"Better?"

"Yes, much younger now. But your hair is a mess." Amanda grinned.

"Ya ya, you're not much better Mandy. Your hair is all greasy, like a tunnel rat's hair."

"Ewww, tunnel rats, those people are so dirty, almost as dirty as these assholes." Amanda curled up her nose in disgust and pointed towards the guards at the gate.

Allison laughed, prompting the guards to look around and stare. Noticing the guards were looking, Allison stuck her tongue out at them and shot them her middle finger.

The guards just shrugged and turned around, not really caring what the girls were doing, just as long as they were not planning an escape something.

It was a little while later when the loud truck made its way back to Club V.

This time Blain the Boss, Bubba, Mikey, and some others were riding in the back.

The truck pulled up to the gate and the men hopped off.

"Open the gate boys." Blain boomed out.

The guards obliged and as the gate swung open, the group of men sauntered in.

"Since its getting close to dinner time for us, we thought we would pick up some dessert." Blain snickered at his comment while he took a look around.

"What night it is tonight Boss?" Bubba asked.

"Hmmmm, I think it'll be boys night out Bubba." Blain pondered while stroking his chin.

Chuckles from the men followed Blains comment.

Allison looked at Amanda, wondering what the comment meant, but she was met with a similar blank stare from her friend.

The men wandered about, eyeing their bounty and grinning.

One by one, the men chose their prize and dragged the unwilling victim out of the store, kicking, screaming and crying back to the truck box.

Allison was shocked at what she saw. _They're taking the boys._

She looked back over at Amanda and saw too that Amanda had come to realize what 'boys night out' meant.

Mothers were also crying, and tried in vain to stop the men from taking the boys, only to be met with a swift backhand, or kick.

Blain swaggered over to Allison and Amanda, his rotten teeth showing as he grinned at them.

"Tomorrow night is girls night out. I'm still deciding if I want blond, or brunette. Or maybe I'll let you to fight over who gets to be with me." Blain chuckled at his smart remark.

"I'd rather die than go with you." Allison shot back.

"Ahhh, still with the fire, hey half pint. I'll break ya soon enough." Blain snickered.

"Fuck you asshole." Amanda spat out.

Blain leaned down, grinning from ear to ear. "Yer another one with spark, eh Blondie?"

Quickly Blain's hand shot out and he struck Amanda across the face, sending her back into the mattress. Allison went to hit Blain, but her hand was caught in an instant and twisted to the point of almost breaking.

Allison cried out in pain and struggled to break free, but Blain just laughed and twisted harder. Finally he let go of her and got up to leave.

"Tomorrow night ladies, I'll have to flip a coin to see who I get first." Blain grinned as he turned to leave.

Allison had tears running down her cheek as she rubbed her sore arm. Amanda reached over and wrapped her arm around Allison, trying to provide some comfort.

Blain walked up to a young dark haired boy, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out to the truck. The gate was locked and soon the truck was making its way back to the main camp.

"Tomorrow, when he takes us, we find any way to hurt him, or kill him, so we can get away. There is no fucking way that slime is getting his dirty paws on us." Allison blurted out while still rubbing her sore arm.

"I plan to do that Allie, I'm fighting too. No way do I want them touching me." Amanda said with a look of anger and determination on her face.

They both remained hugging each other, finding some comfort in the words they had just spoken, but still deathly afraid of what was going to happen to them the next night.

The other women could be heard sobbing, frustrated at not being able to stop the men from taking their children. Many harbored a seething hatred for the captors and some had heard what Allison had said, the word to fight back was slowly making its way around the store.

Tonight they might still be safe from Blain and his men, but tomorrow they would need a miracle.


	8. Chapter 7: Strength in Numbers

**Chapter 7: Strength in Numbers**

**Hammerhead Bunker**

Only a few minutes had passed between the convoy picking up Derek and his refugees, to the moment it arrived at Hammerhead Bunkers main entrance.

To the ordinary eye, the entrance looked like a pile of junk surrounded by vehicles scattered about in haphazard ways. The vehicles provided a natural set of barricades for the bunker in case of attack, for they had actually been placed in such a way as to help protect and disguise the entrance to Hammerhead. This came about as a result of the careful planning from the bunker leader and John Connor.

As the convoy finished worming its way towards the entrance, the vehicles slowly ground to a halt.

John and Blair climbed out of the Hummer to go meet up with the resistance leader of Hammerhead, Melissa, Derek and Kyle remained in the vehicle.

An older stocky man emerged from the pile of rubble, just to the right of the Hummer. On either side of him were two well armed resistance regulars, their weapons resting in a lowered position, but ready to be brought to use if need be. The stocky man was dressed in standard Army ACU's, along with his guards.

John instantly recognized him. "Sikes, good to see you." He cheerfully called out to the stocky man.

"Connor, nice to see you too. Seems your convoy made it here in good time." Sikes walked up, his hand outstretched to shake John's hand. His two guards remained further back, keeping watch around the meeting spot.

John grasped Sikes hand with his and slapped the older man on the arm while shaking hands. Both men had warm smiles for each other and a respect that went way back.

Sikes looked over to where Blair was standing and nodded a hello to her. "Williams, always a pleasure to see you."

"Why thank you Sikes." Blair smiled warmly.

Sikes turned back to John. "So how are Kate and Kayla doin' John?"

"They're fine, Kayla keeps growing bigger every day." John beamed.

Sike's smile faded and his face became somber.

"So what's up Connor? You normally don't come on supply runs, unless its important."

John paused for a moment as if wondering how to explain what he needed to do. He drew in a large breath, sighed and began to speak.

"Sikes, we have a problem."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, the raids on the resistance bunkers and underground hideouts have increased and become more violent. Men are needlessly being killed, women and children kidnapped, the hideouts are stripped of any useful items, anything of value, and then sometimes destroyed. The women and children are kept as slaves, or they are traded to other groups like common cattle for other items such as food, or fuel."

Sike's face sank, he pondered over what had just been said, then he asked. "So what's the plan Connor?"

"I want to stop this insanity before Skynet comes back."

"Do you think Skynet will return?"

"No doubt in my mind Sikes, Skynet has a plan, we never completely destroyed it. All this fighting between people will just make it easier for Skynet to sweep in and finish off whoever is left." John was upset, his voice trembled with anger.

"Whatever we can do Connor, you have our support." Sikes spoke up, his eyes locking on John's.

John could see Sikes was also upset with what was going on. It wasn't that long ago when Hammerhead came under attack, only the quick thinking of Sikes and his troop's readiness prevented disaster.

Sikes was a good man, smart soldier and proven ally in John Connor's resistance.

John sighed and turned towards his vehicle, motioning to the occupants to come out.

"Sikes, I have survivors from the attack that happened on a hideout last night, one of them rode in this vehicle with me."

"So some good news as well as bad news?" Sikes lifted his eyebrow in question and wrinkled his brow at the same time.

"Well, good that he and about a dozen others escaped. Bad, many people were captured and the men were all killed."

Sikes shook his head in disbelief. "Those poor bastards, so the women and children were taken?"

"Along with supplies and weapons." Derek had spoken as he walked up to the group.

"And your name is?"

"Derek Reese"

"You helped some people escape?" Sikes was intrigued by this new face.

"Yes sir, we spent part of the night and most of today, traveling here by foot."

Sikes was impressed. _This young man showed allot of balls doing what he did, too few would have done what he did. _He thought to himself, then spoke to Derek.

"You're a good man Reese, far too few would have done the same as you did."

Sikes shot his hand out. "The names Sikes and it's a pleasure to meet you Reese."

Derek grasped Sikes hand in a warm, firm handshake.

"Thank you sir, but there are still more people in need of help. I won't rest until we get them back, safe and sound." He replied with conviction.

Sikes looked over to John. "Connor, we could use more men like Reese here."

"Actually there are two named Reese here. Kyle here is Derek's brother and both are cut from the same tough cloth. "John had pointed to Kyle and continued talking to Sikes.

"I'm hoping both brothers will stay and help, after the rescue mission."

Kyle spoke up. "Derek and I will be in for the long haul sir." His voice was filled with respect and admiration for John.

"Don't forget about the girls, we're more than just something pretty to look at." Melissa spoke up with a wry grin on her face. "We can kick butt with the best of what you got." Melissa paused for a moment and then added. "Actually Blair and I are probably better at kicking butt then your best troops sir."

Blair smiled and shook her head.

"Ahhh yes, the dynamic duo." Sikes chuckled. "I'd never dream of forgetting you two ass kickers and heartbreakers."

Blair and Melissa exchanged glances and smirked.

"Well enough chit chat, we need to get to work. Lets get the supplies inside, the trucks hidden, the refugees settled, then we can decide what we are going to do next and how we are going to do it." John clapped his hands together to get the groups attention.

Melissa looped her arm around Derek's and proceeded to escort him to the vehicles parked further behind in the convoy. "I'll help Derek get his people." She called back as they made their way further back along the convoy.

Derek looked back at Kyle, like he was a child being taken away from his friends. Kyle just grinned and waved, offering no aid to his older sibling.

Blair huffed and looked at Kyle. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nuthin Blair, just happy to see my brother again." Kyle replied with a sheepish grin.

"What's wrong, you mad about somethin'?" He added

"Never mind." Blair shot out.

She was obviously mad about Melissa sneaking in and getting first crack at Derek, Kyle knew things were about to heat up, but he had chosen to sit back and watch the action unfold.

Blair abruptly turned around and headed for the Hummer to gather her things and some of the supplies that were in the back of it. Kyle followed her, just to make sure he wouldn't miss out on any action, he was going to enjoy this competition between the girls, even if it was his brother that was going to get all the attention.

……………..

It was a few hours later on that day, when the convoy had finally settled into Hammerhead. Provisions had been offloaded from the trucks, the survivors brought into the bunker, and everyone sat down for a meal in the mess hall area.

Though not as fancy as Crystal Peak, it was a comfortable place to stay and it was safer than the old parking garage Derek and the others had spent hiding in the night before.

The meal was simple, but nutritious, it consisted of fresh baked flatbread, a stew made from various animals caught in the wild, herbs and vegetables harvested from small hidden gardens around the bunker. It smelled great and tasted even better, no one bothered to ask what the meat was that was in it, for fear of not liking what the answer would be.

Sikes, along with a couple of his top men, sat at the table along with John and the others that had traveled in his Hummer. All were quietly enjoying their meal, savoring the flavorful food and enjoying the rest from the long journey. The refugees and resistance were spread all about in the smallish mess hall, a room designed for maybe fifty people, but right now accommodating closer to one hundred.

Derek was seated across from Kyle, flanked by Blair and Melissa, both women were eager to capture Derek's undivided attention. It didn't help that the seats were a bench type and the room was so crowded, he had no where to run or hide.

As Derek desperately tried to wolf down his food, he was peppered with questions form both women.

"Derek, are you seeing anyone right now?" Melissa smiled and batted her baby blues at him.

Swallowing his food and finding it hard not to look over at the cute blonde, Derek managed to answer, "No Melissa, not for a while."

"Oh, you can call me Mel." Melissa beamed as she brushed her hand near his.

Not to be left out, Blair countered with questions of her own.

"Derek, you managed to escape those raiders? Tell me how you managed to do that?"

Blair turned to Derek, looking straight into his eyes, smiling and gently flicking her long chestnut locks behind her shoulder. She had kept her shirt strategically unbuttoned, as it had been in the vehicle, just enough to let Derek get a hint of what was underneath.

"Yes, please tell us Derek." Melissa leaned in, brushing her arm against Derek's.

Feeling a bit cramped by the two doting females, Derek reached over to grab his mug, took a gulp of water and proceeded to tell his story.

Kyle leaned in to listen to the story, intent on gathering as much detail as Derek would dish out, he wanted to know what had happened to Allison, and why she was caught.

John, Sikes and the others at the table stopped their small talk to listen in on what Derek had to say.

What Derek had done, impressed all that were at the table, especially after learning how little training Derek had had, when it came to actual combat.

_Derek has a natural knack at leading, he could be a great leader in the resistance, with the right training. _John thought to himself and rubbed his chin, while listening to the story. _If I can get him to stay with us after the rescue mission, I can start training him to become an officer in my resistance force, Tech-Com._

Blair and Melissa didn't need to pretend to be impressed, they were caught up in the story right from the beginning. Once Derek had finished, Blair spoke up first.

"Derek that was amazing what you did. Don't worry, we will help you find Allison and the others."

"Yeah, you can count me in too Derek." Melissa spoke with assertiveness.

For the moment, both girls had seemed to have forgotten their little bet and were focused on helping this new ally find Allison and the others. His story helped spark a new found unity in the resistance fighters presently with him, something not seen since the resistance was decimated trying to destroy Skynet Central in San Francisco two years ago.

After the meal was finished, the group from John's table left the mess hall and gathered in a smaller war room down a narrow hallway, further inside the bunker. This room consisted of maps on the wall, some chairs, a large table in the middle, also covered with maps of the surrounding area and of the underground, and a desk used for storage of items.

John, Sikes, Derek and Blair all took a seat, not having enough chairs for the group, the others were left to lean against the wall and hear the plan of rescue.

"So where do we begin?" Sikes spoke up first.

"Well, I would say Derek needs to point out where the attack took place on a map and then we go from there." John looked towards Derek as he pointed to the maps.

Derek stood up and leaned over the maps, he was puzzled. "Where exactly are we now? Nothing looks familiar on the map here." He looked over at John and Sikes, hoping for some help.

John stood up and studied the maps for a second, he found one he liked and pulled it out to lay fully on top of the pile of maps, then he placed his finger on a portion of it. "We are here Derek and we found you guys at this spot." John moved his finger slightly over.

Derek thought for a moment, then he leaned in closer to the map. "Okay, I see now. Well we were at an old subway station, over here to the west."

"Do you remember the name of it?"

"Hollywood was the first name, but the other half of the sign was damaged and unreadable."

"Okay, I know the area, slightly north west of the city center. Did you see where the vehicles headed?"

"As far as I could tell, they went north John."

John sat down and rubbed his fingers across his forehead. It was late afternoon, almost evening, they would have to wait until morning to head out with the vehicles. It was too risky to try to start the search this late in the day.

John looked up and around at the room of people, then he stood up and began to speak.

"This is what we are going to do people. We are going to pack up what we need to take with us for the search, that includes weapons for taking out this gangs vehicles. We will also need extra food rations for the survivors we take back with us, medical supplies and extra fuel."

"Why wait until tomorrow?" Derek was visibly upset.

"It's too risky to start the search now, it will be dark in an hour and I don't want to travel at night. We would be ripe for an ambush by raiders, if we were to go searching now." John looked into Derek's eyes, he could see the pain in them, but knew he would understand.

"He's right Derek, we need to prepare and get some rest. Then we can start at the crack of dawn tomorrow." Blair placed her hand on Derek's shoulder to comfort him and she softly tried to explain to him why they needed to wait.

"Don't worry, we'll find Allison and the rest, John knows what he is doing." Kyle patted his brothers' shoulder. He was anxious to get going too, but knew better then to push the issue with John.

Derek hung his head to think, then he looked up at John. "You're right John, we need to prepare first, besides it will be easier to track them during the day."

"Don't worry Derek, we are here to help and we will do our best to get Allison and the rest back safely." John had a sincere look on his face, a look that calmed Derek down and made him realize these people were going to help as best as they could, what more could he ask for.

As the meeting ground to a close, the main group broke apart and everyone went about doing their bit to help make everything run smoothly for the next days search and rescue.

Once everything was prepped and ready to go, Sikes had a few of his men help settle in the new refugees and provide temporary bedding for the search and rescue group.

Fortunately for Derek, the girls and men were sent to separate quarters, ensuring he would get a good nights sleep without having to worry about Blair or Melissa sneaking into his bunk.

The men's quarters were Spartan in appearance, but the men had fairly clean blankets and even pillows. The room was designed for maybe 20 beds, but someone had managed to squeeze in six more bunk beds, making it feel more like a sardine can than a dormitory.

As Derek and Kyle bedded down, Kyle took the top and Derek the bottom bunk, Kyle paused for a moment then rolled over to look down at his brother.

"Derek, has Allison changed much since I last saw her?"

Derek was lying back on his mattress, his arms tucked behind his head and his legs stretched out. He looked up at Kyle and smiled. "Allison changed? Ummmm, ya. She is almost fourteen now, she has grown up a lot inside, but still has a bit of that little girl in her. She has a big heart and a smile that could melt an iceberg."

"I remember her smile." Kyle stopped and thought about her for a second. "I hope we find her tomorrow Derek."

"Kyle, I prayed for her safety as soon as I knew she had been taken, just like I did every night after I had lost you."

"I'm worried she will be traded away and we never get to see her again." Kyle looked away from Derek, his eyes beginning to glisten in the dim light.

"That will not happen Kyle, we will find her. I will not stop looking for her, same as I never stopped looking for you." Derek had stood up to look Kyle straight in the eyes, he had spoken softly, but had a determined look on his face.

"I know we will find her Derek, but deep down I get this sick feeling that we will find her too late."

"If John Connor is as good as his word, we will get her back. By the way, how did you end up joining Connor's resistance?" Derek lifted his eyebrow in question.

"It's a long story, but I'll give you the condensed version."

Kyle proceeded to tell Derek the whole story about what had happened after he got separated from Derek and Allison. He told Derek about how he had tried looking for them and how he had stumbled across Star, another girl that was half starved and without anyone to help her. Kyle told of the adventures Star and him had gone through, how they almost starved, almost got killed by metal, the friends they made and lost, and Marcus Wright.

Derek stood back, listening intently, drinking in every word Kyle spoke.

"So Blair was with Marcus?" Derek asked.

"Yes, sort of. She hasn't been with anyone steady since that time. After Marcus gave his life for John, she clammed up and only saw guys as something to take to bed, only if they looked good to her. But, I can tell she likes you." Kyle thought it best to put in a good word for Blair, he liked her and thought it would be good if she hooked up with Derek.

"So Blair likes me? What about Melissa?" Derek grinned to himself, but a hint of the smile showed up on his face.

"Both girls like you Derek, duh, you can be so dense sometimes." Kyle shook his head and rolled over to his back.

Derek got back onto his bunk and stretched out again. _Two girls like me and I've been here for less then a day. _He thought about it for a moment and then spoke up.

"Kyle?"

"Yeah?"

"How come both girls like me and are both being so nice to me?"

"Uhhh, I dunno." Kyle tried his best to hide that he was lying.

"Kyle?"

"What?" Kyle was getting a bit agitated about being grilled and his voice showed it.

"You know something, don't you." Derek knew Kyle was hiding something.

"NO"

"I know when yer lying Kyle, so tell me now, before I have to get up and make you tell me."

Derek smirked, fully knowing he would get Kyle to talk, he was always able to tell when Kyle lied and he knew what to do to get Kyle to talk. Allison was a bit harder to pin down, but he had his ways with her too. Knowing the two for so long gave him certain advantages.

"Awww Derek, but I'm tired. Can't we talk about this in the morning?"

"We could, but knowing you, you would find a way to make it so we couldn't talk. So tell me now." Derek's voice went lower.

Kyle knew he had blown it, so he sighed and proceeded to tell Derek the bet that the two girls had made. Derek had an amused look on his face as Kyle went into detail about the bet and what would happen to the loser.

"Three months of booze rations huh. You guys have booze?"

"Well yeah, you can call it that. It can also be used to clean guns too, and if you drink too much too fast, you'll either never remember what you did or go blind for a day or so."

"Kyle? Does this come from experience?" Derek sounded serious, but he had a hint of a grin on his lips.

"No way Derek, I don't drink."

"Kyle?"

"Okay, Okay, yes I tried it, but only once." Kyle blurted out in frustration.

Derek chuckled and sighed. _My baby brother is growing up, almost eighteen now, but still wet behind the ears._

"So you'll never drink again?"

"Well, not for a while, but I'll never say never."

Kyle smiled, he knew Derek was now just teasing him. Even after being apart for so long, they both still had that special connection with each other.

"Will you two knock it off? There are some that want to get some sleep tonight." A lone voice from across the room called out to the two brothers.

The brother went quiet for a moment, then whispered to each other.

"Night Kyle"

"Night Derek"

Both of them settled in for the night, just as John crept into the room and found himself a spare bunk to crash in.

"Good night gentlemen, we have a long day ahead." John whispered as he slipped onto a lower bunk nearby. _I hope we get to find those women and children and stop those bastards once and for all._ All this fighting between people was beginning to eat away at John, he knew what he was doing was straining his troops and eating up precious resources, but if he didn't do it, who would? John rolled over to his side and mentally went over his plans for tomorrow, before he drifted off into a light sleep.

A few rooms down, Blair and Melissa were getting ready to bunk for the night. They were in a room similar in size to the one the guys were sleeping in, but they were jammed in with about thirty other girls. Besides bunk beds, there were some full size beds that had been converted into mega bunks, designed for smaller siblings to sleep together and free up the single bunks for the older single women.

Both girls were dead tired from the long road trip, but were still talking about Derek and his story.

"I can't believe people would do such a thing to others." Blair whispered under her breath, just loud enough for Melissa to hear.

"Its really sad Blair, I feel the same too. I'm worried we might not get there in time and Derek seems really crushed over losing his sister."

"Mel, Allison is not his real sister, but he did mention she has been with him since she was little. I think he is truly a special person to go all out to try to find her. You heard how he never gave up on Kyle, I think he would do the same for her too."

"Hmmmm…. You really like him, don't you Blair." Melissa's smile could still be seen in the dim light of the room.

Blair looked at Melissa and paused before answering. "He reminds me of some one I knew."

"Marcus?"

Blair's eyes glistened with moisture and she looked away for a moment, pretending to pick off a bit of non existent fluff on her pants.

"Blair? You okay?" Melissa was mad at herself for mentioning Marcus, she now wished she hadn't of said his name.

"I'm okay Mel, but it still bothers me a little." Blair's voice was barely above a whisper, it had grown softer as she recalled her memories of Marcus Wright, a man who gave his life for John Connor and the future.

"Blair, I'm sorry." Melissa's voice was sincere.

"I'm fine Mel. I'm just tired, that's all. We should get some sleep, it'll be a long day tomorrow." Blair climbed up onto her bunk and stretched out.

Yeah, okay Blair, G'night."

"Night Mel."

Both women remained awake for a while, both thinking about a certain man that had managed to impress them with his commitment to people. While one thought of a fresh face, the other was thinking about a certain important person from her past.

Minutes later, all that could be heard in the room was the gentle breathing from the group of sleeping girls, broken up by the occasional snore and creaking of the bedsprings.

…………………………

The night watch had just ended at Hammerhead, it was about 6am and shift change was under way.

John had instructed Sikes to wake him up at this time, so the rescue party could get started on the search at daybreak. The first order of business was to eat breakfast and to go over any last minute plans.

As the door swung open in the dorm, John woke up right away, followed by Derek and his brother Kyle. They in turn, went around and got the others up and ready to move out.

Backpacks were double checked for proper rations of food, water and other minor items.

Kyle looked over at Derek checking his supplies and smiled, he was happy to finally be with his brother again.

It felt good to reconnect with him so quickly, he had to admire his older brothers drive to find Allison and help the others in need. That seemed to be his brothers trend, he was always there for anyone that needed help.

Although it had been Kyle that found Allison while rummaging for food, it was Derek that had decided she should stay with them, so she would be safe. Kyle thought back to that day when he found her. He had been looking for anything that they could use for holding water or food, Derek had sent him to look while remaining back at the encampment, guarding their supplies.

Allison had been in the same tunnel, scouring a pile of garbage for food. She was dressed in rags, was dirty and thin as a rail from not eating properly. Kyle had stumbled across her as he scanned the tunnel for any useful items.

When she saw him, she had tried to run and hide, but ended up tripping on a loose piece of concrete and fell, knocking her head on the ground. Kyle crept up to the unconscious girl, knowing it was not safe to just leave her, he picked her up and carried her to the safety of their camp.

Derek had been proud of what he had done that day, both he and Derek knew what might have happened to her, if she had been left behind.

Derek had cleaned her up as best he could and tended to her head wound. When she finally awakened, she became frightened and backed herself into a corner. Worried that she had been captured by them, she tried to hide away and curled herself into a ball, hoping that she would not be noticed.

It took Derek a long time to convince her that she was safe with them, she acted more like a feral animal than the little girl she was.

"Hey, earth to Kyle." Derek snapped his fingers as he called out to Kyle, a crooked grin on his face.

"I'm fine, just thinking about stuff Bro." Kyle smiled back and hoisted his backpack up onto his shoulder.

"Oh?"

"Allison"

"Yeah, don't worry Kyle. With John Connor and the rest of his team helping us, I think we have a good chance of finding her." Derek slapped Kyle on the shoulder, winked at John and motioned towards the door. "Lets grab something to eat before we go, I'm starving. "

"We have a long day ahead of us guys, lets get going then." John extended his arm, indicating that they should go first.

Kyle smiled broadly and led the way out of the room, with Derek and John following closely behind.

…………..

Close to the same time, Blair and Melissa were also roused by the shift change. They both got up and quickly got ready for breakfast.

"Hey Blair, do I look okay?"

"Well besides the 'bed head', you look just fine." Blair replied with a smirk.

"Oh God, is it that bad?" Melissa was panicking, desperately looking for a brush or comb to use on her long blond strands.

"Nothing that a hat won't hide Mel."

Melissa grumbled under her breath grabbed her cap and pulled it down tightly, her hair kept tamed by being held up in a pony tail.

Blair kept her long tresses flowing down loosely as she usually did, it seemed her hair had faired better than Melissa's.

Both girls finished packing up their belongings and headed for the latrine to clean up a bit, before going to the mess hall for breakfast.

…………..

John, Derek, Kyle and the rest of the men in the search group were already in the mess hall, going over last minute details while enjoying a cup of instant coffee. There was coffee whitener, but no sugar as it was like gold to have in these tough times. It didn't matter much as the men enjoyed this blessed normality to an otherwise upside down world. In another time, these men would look just like any other group in a trendy coffee shop, or sitting down in the mall eatery, chatting about last nights game or planning to go off fishing.

The chatter was broken up by the late arrival of Blair and Melissa.

Both girls rushed into the mess hall, afraid they had missed breakfast and the meeting.

"Are we too late?" Melissa gasped as she tried to catch her breath from running down the halls.

"No Webster, we just sat down to coffee, breakfast will be ready shortly." John replied dryly. He motioned with his hand for them to sit.

Both girls were not pleased as they were now seated about half way down the table, far away from Derek. As they prepared to sit, they looked around the table and over to Derek. They both smiled and said their hellos, pausing to gaze at Derek, to make sure he had seen them.

Kyle, noticing the girls were looking at Derek, quickly elbowed him in the ribs to get his attention.

"Owww, what was that for?" Derek whispered through gritted teeth.

Kyle grinned and pointed towards Blair and Melissa. "Your girlfriends have arrived Bro."

Derek gave Kyle the evil eye, turned and smiled back at the two women.

"Morning ladies."

"Good morning Derek." Both girls responded at the same time with even bigger smiles.

A voice from the kitchen area called out. "Chows ready people."

Everyone lined up at the counter to get served. Breakfast consisted of a bowl of what looked like porridge and a very dry bun, but there was a bonus, wild strawberries were mixed into the pasty mush.

Blair, being near the front of the line, noticed the little red chunks in the gluey meal first.

"Ohhh….Mel look. I think those are strawberries in the mush."

"Strawberries? How the hell did they manage to get those?" Melissa looked puzzled.

The older bald man from the other side of the counter spoke up. "We found a spot where some strawberries were growing, I don't know how or why, but they were there and they taste like heaven." He grinned and winked at the two beauties before him.

The girls smiled back and went back to the table to eat their meal. Derek was already seated with Kyle having his meal, so they took advantage of the nearly empty table and sat as close to him as possible. Blair across from him and Melissa right beside him, but instead of paying close attention to him, they were deeply involved in hunting out the strawberry pieces and devouring them first.

Seeing what the girls were doing, John leaned across the counter and whispered something to the bald man behind it, the man smiled and nodded. As everyone slowly made it back to the tables to eat, the bald man came up to Blair and Melissa and placed a saucer in front of them, with four plump red strawberries.

"Something sweet for two sweeties." The bald man winked at the girls, spun around and left just as quickly as he came.

John smiled and spoke up. "I saw how you two were trying to dig out the fruit from the mush, so I asked to see if anything could be done and voila, a special treat. Now I expect total loyalty and you two will need to work twice as hard as the men now."

"That's not hard Connor, we are women after all." Blair winked at John and reached over to grab a strawberry.

Melissa quickly followed Blair's lead and grabbed one for herself. As the two slowly popped the fresh fruit onto their mouths, a look of pure ecstasy came across their faces.

"Oh my God, this is better then sex." Melissa gushed

Kyle went to reach for one of the strawberries and quickly got his hand smacked by Blair.

"If you value your life, you'll leave our berries alone."

"Awww…but that's not fair." Kyle pouted and tried to reach again, but his hand was slapped by Melissa this time.

"These were a present from Connor to us, not you. Go find your own berries." Melissa spoke threateningly.

"Gees…you two are nasty in the morning." Kyle squeaked his feelings now hurt.

Derek and the others had a good laugh at Kyle's expense, which made him sink even lower into his seat. Grudgingly Kyle went back to finishing his bowl of mush, while the girls enjoyed their final pair of berries in peace.

………………

It was an hour later when everyone gathered by the vehicles, breakfast was done and anything that needed to be loaded or checked was given the once over and secured.

Again John was in the lead vehicle, along with Blair riding shotgun, Derek, Melissa and Kyle riding in the back seat.

John had already said his thanks and goodbyes to Sikes and his men, it was only a matter of giving the order and they would be off on the mission. Their first stop would be at the subway station in Hollywood that had been raided and then hopefully they would be able to pick up the raider trail from there.

Both Derek and Kyle were a bag of nerves, they were anxious to get going to find and save Allison. Derek kept a cool look about him, but Kyle wouldn't stop fidgeting as emotions got the better of him.

Melissa noticed Kyle's nervousness and reached over to grab his hand to give it a squeeze. "Don't worry Kyle, we'll find her. Everything will be fine."

Kyle looked over and smiled. "Thanks Mel"

Melissa remained holding Kyle's hand, her warmth and sincerity calming him down.

Derek looked over and smiled to himself. _Melissa is a good person, I'm happy she's able to calm Kyle down, he really needs that right now._

"Everyone ready?" John asked

"YES" came the unified reply from inside the Hummer.

John sighed and picked up the mic, he barked the order to move out over the radio, the convoy fired up and pulled out onto a main road leading towards Hollywood. The sound of diesel and gas engines broke the silence in between the mounds of rubble and odd building still standing. Dust floated down like snow from the taller buildings, stirred up by the mechanical vibrations from the heavy vehicles. Small animals scurried away into deeper hiding spots and a flock of birds, startled by the commotion, flew off to a safer perch. Landing safely, they peered down at the row of vehicles slowly rolling west, making sure the noisy contraptions were well on the way and they would be safe.

It would be at least a couple of hours before they reached the destroyed hideout in Hollywood. Plenty of time to prepare for what lay ahead for them.

**Authors note- **

I just wanted to say Thank You to my Beta reader/ editor DP and to Russ for helping out with the story!

Chapter 8 "Hopes and Fears" will continue with the Connor group following clues in their search for Allison and the others,but it will also let us know what is happening to Allison and Amanda at the raider camp. ( I hope to have it out by next Friday )


	9. Chapter 8: Hopes and Fears

**Chapter 8: Hopes and Fears**

**Morning near Hollywood**

The convoy had been traveling in a north easterly direction for about two hours, travel had been slow due to the poor condition of the roads and multiple obstacles splayed across various sections of roadway. Toppled buildings, rusted remnants of vehicles, skeletal remains of people and endos littered the streets and alleyways.

Nature had begun its slow and steady pace back to reclaiming what was taken and domesticated by humans as trees , shrubs, grasses and other plants took their place in any spot they could get a foothold. This made it doubly hard for the vehicles to move forward at a steady pace as some streets had become totally blocked with vegetation and crumpled remains of humanity.

After about the fourth time doubling back to navigate around an impasse, the convoy had finally reached Hollywood. It would only be a matter of a few minutes before they would get to the spot Derek had pointed out to John on the map.

"Do you recognize the area Derek?" John called back to the younger man in the back seat.

"Yeah, up this road about a kilometer or so." Derek leaned forward and pointed straight ahead.

John nodded and kept his eyes forward, concentrating on avoiding the miscellaneous objects on the road.

Blair, being designated shotgun, kept close watch at the surrounding terrain. Gangs were usually more active at night, but daytime raids could happen and she wasn't about to see the convoy get caught up in a surprise firefight.

Derek leaned back and glanced over at Melissa and Kyle. They were both sleeping, Kyle resting his head on his backpack up against the door and Melissa with her head propped up on Kyle's shoulder, a thin line of drool from her mouth slowly making its way towards his jacket.

_Every time we ever go into a vehicle, Kyle has to fall asleep, just like when we were kids._

Derek smiled and turned to look out the other side, he let out a sigh while thinking of road trips from what seemed like a lifetime ago. His thoughts drifted to being happy about finding Kyle again, safe and sound, but he still was desperately worried about Allison. She was still so young and vulnerable, it would tear him apart to find out she had been hurt or worse.

Meeting up with John Connor was like a miracle. Here was a man Derek hardly knew, pulling out all the stops to help him find a group of people he had never met. Men like Connor just weren't around any more, attitudes were more like fend for yourself instead of help thy neighbor.

Finally, the Hummer arrived near the entrance to the subway tunnel. It wasn't hard to spot, since the bodies of the murdered men were left where they had fallen, near to the opening to the subway. There was evidence the bodies had been fed on by wild animals, clothing was torn and limbs were missing from the carcasses and a couple of stray dogs were rummaging around the dead.

"Looks like we're here guys." John called out as he brought the truck to a halt. He then picked up the mic and instructed the convoy to stop and keep a close watch on the surroundings.

Blair double checked her shotgun, making sure it was loaded and ready to fire.

Derek and the other two did the same with their weapons and ammunition.

As soon as they got out of the vehicle, the smell hit them.

Rotting flesh, flies and the late morning sun all helped provide for a gut churning putrid scene. Blair and John quickly pulled out cloths to cover their noses and mouth, the others weren't as quick to cover up the smell.

Melissa was the first to double over and vomit, followed by Kyle and then Derek. No one ever got used to the smell of death and disease, especially this fresh.

Blair pulled out her handgun and fired a shot into the air, scattering the dogs that were digging around the bodies.

"They'll be back." John solemnly spoke.

"Yeah, but it just sickens me to see that. Do we have time to do anything for them John?"Blair had a concerned, but sad look on her face.

"Like what, Bury them?" John asked.

"I dunno"

John stood for a moment and thought, then he spoke up. "Get a couple of people, some fuel and a flare. We'll burn the bodies, no time to bury them."

"Okay John, I understand." Blair bit her lip and looked over at the mound of bodies.

"Williams, we need to concentrate on saving the living while we still have a chance to get to them. Stopping to bury these men will slow us down too much, time is too important. Do you understand?"

"Yes John, I do. It's just so sad to see, so cruel, inhuman, it sickens me John." Blair's voice was starting to waver a bit, her emotions welling up inside, bringing tears to her eyes. She quickly brought up her hand to wipe away the moisture, turned and slowly walked towards the other vehicles.

John turned to Derek and the other two, motioning for them to follow him. The small group of four quickly and quietly made their way to the main entrance, the door now missing blown off from the initial attack. The air was a bit more breathable here and John stopped to inspect the damage.

"They had explosives, military grade. They knew what they were doing, we'll have to be careful when we catch up to them. Judging by the casings left behind, they also have some pretty high end weapons, not just the standard hunting rifles and hand guns." John had leaned down to pick up some shell casings to get a closer look, his face becoming grim as he took in the full picture of what had gone on.

"Yeah they had AK's for sure, I could tell by the sound they made, same with the M16's." Derek replied

Kyle and Melissa stood back, shocked at how much carnage had taken place here.

"Sometimes I wonder if people are worse then the machines." Kyle mused.

"At least the machines take all the live ones away to work camps, no favoritism towards any one group. They all end up dying on equal terms." Melissa spoke up nonchalantly.

Derek peered into the dark entrance, something had moved, or so he thought.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Do we have any flashlights that work, or something so I can go take a look inside? I think I saw something."

"Hmmm….should be something in the back of the Hummer. One of those wind up lights, or a solar light." John casually pointed towards the truck. He was still deep in thought and busy trying to piece together where the raiders might have gone.

Derek sprinted over to the truck, he glanced over at the pile of bodies as he passed. Blair and some others were busy tossing some scrap pieces of wood and anything else they could use to help burn the remains.

The look on Blair's face as well as the others was somber, but also determined. Seeing how these men were shot and left to rot, solidified the resolve in the resistance fighters' hearts to find the survivors and seek out justice for the dead.

Derek found a solar lamp tucked away in a storage bin at the back of the truck. He grabbed it and jogged back to the tunnel entrance.

"John, I'm going inside to see if there is anything else that can help us figure out where they went."

"Good idea Reese, I'll come with you." John turned to Kyle and Melissa. "You guys coming or staying here?"

"We'll follow you guys sir." Melissa answered and motioned to Kyle to follow her.

All four of them made their way into the dark tunnel, Derek in the lead, followed by John, Melissa and finally Kyle taking up the rear. There was an eerie silence to the passage way and a slightly less robust odor of death, the bodies of the guards were decomposing slower inside than if they had been killed outdoors. There were no signs of them having been disturbed by animals looking for an easy meal, but then the buffet of bodies outside meant no animal needed to venture into the tunnels.

Derek froze in his step, John also halted and held up his fist, indicating the other two should freeze.

"What is it Reese?"

"I thought I saw some movement over there." Derek whispered and pointed towards a makeshift barricade.

John squinted, his eyes still not used to the inky darkness of the passageway. The lantern did a poor job of illuminating, but it did an excellent job of creating ghostly shadows to dance around and play little mind tricks on the group.

Derek focused on a body by the barricade, it was an older man, his body leaned back against some debris. Any other time it would look like the man was taking a nap, but his head hung low in an almost unnatural way. He had some cloth tied around his left thigh and just below it was evidence of a bullet wound, his pants soaked with blood.

_Poor bastard, looks like he bled out from a shot to his leg. If only we had come back sooner, maybe we could have helped him. _Derek thought to himself.

Then the body twitched, it was as if someone had jolted the man with electricity.

Derek jumped too, his heart leaping into his throat.

"What the hell? Did you see that Connor?"

John didn't bother to answer, he had seen what the body did and ran towards it. He knelt down and checked for a pulse on the man's neck.

Looking up, John spoke with urgency. "He's alive."

...

**Morning at Club V**

Allison opened her eyes first. She was still curled up beside Amanda with her arm draped over her friend's midsection. Amanda was still sleeping peacefully, her face showing no signs of worry.

Allison had not slept well, she had kept waking up throughout the night from bad dreams, the gangsters firing off their weapons, as well as playing loud music half the night.

_Arrogant bastards, they might as well have lit up a giant bonfire to let Skynet know exactly where they are. _Allison let out a sigh. _Maybe if Skynet had come, Mandy and me could have found a way to escape._

Allison sat up, stretched and looked around at the others. Most were still sleeping, but a few had gotten up to look and see if their boys had come back, none had. It made Allison shiver with fear and anger, to think of what had happened to the boys and tonight it would be Amanda and her turn to go with the Boss and his goons.

Amanda opened her eyes, blinked sleepily and sat up. "What's up Allie?"

"Nuthin' Mandy, just not sleepy anymore." Allison drew her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on the top of her knees.

"Allie, I know when somethings botherin' you, so what's going on in that head of yours?" Amanda gently placed her hand on Allison's shoulder and gave her a friendly nudge.

"I'm trying to think of a plan, some way to get out of here safely." Allison replied.

"So anything yet?"

"No" Allison answered meekly.

"Well I say we make a run for it, before they split us up and we have no chance to get away." Amanda said in a matter of fact kind of way.

"That won't work Mandy, they'll shoot us before we get even ten steps away. What we need to do is to find a way to either get one of their guns when they take us to their room, or a weapon of some sort to either stick them with or hit them over the head with. Then if one of us can do that, that person can go and help the other. The problem is I really don't know how we are gonna do it, we've never been into their part of the camp." Allison let out a sigh of defeat.

Amanda sat and thought for a second, then spoke. "I'm thinking we will have to wait and see, before we can do anything Allie."

"Yeah, unless we see a good time to make a break for it, we will wait until they take us over to their camp."

"Allie?"

"Yeah?"

"Did any of the boys come back?"

Allison looked over to Amanda and shook her head. " No Mandy, no one came back this morning."

….

John grabbed his canteen, opened the lid and pressed it to the man's lips, he took a couple of hungry gulps and swallowed. John turned to Kyle and told him to run for a medic and some supplies, Kyle obliged and took off down the tunnel towards the opening. Melissa and Derek knelt beside John, anxious to hear of any information the man may have had.

"Are you hit anywhere else, besides the leg?" John asked.

"I….I…ddon't know." the man groaned.

"What's your name?"

"Martin…Martin Bedell." The man winced as he spoke his name, he was in obvious pain and suffering from having no food or water for a couple of days, not to mention he had lost a massive amount of blood.

John looked back to Derek to see if he might recognize the man, but was met with a blank stare. John turned back to Martin and grabbed his shoulders and looked closer into the man's eyes.

"Martin, is anyone else alive with you?" John asked earnestly.

"No…I…I don't think so."

John let out a sigh and sat back on the ground, his brow furrowed as he slipped into a moment of deep thought. A moment later he looked back from to where Kyle had gone, John could hear voices echoing from the tunnel entrance. As they got closer, the voices became louder and easier to understand. Kyle had come back with two men from the convoy, both were field medics that had been trained by Kate.

"Grajowski, Porter, come here quick." John called out to the two men.

The men quickly ran up, dropped their medical supplies and started to assess Martin's situation.

Porter spoke to John first. "Connor sir, he has a leg wound and a head wound from gun shots, he has lost a lot of blood. We need to get him cleaned up and out of here, it's just too dark in here to see how bad he really is."

"Can we move him now?" John asked with more than a hint of concern in his voice.

"There's no choice sir, we can't do anything for him here." Grajowski replied.

"Okay, Derek, Porter, Grajowski and I will carry Martin out. Webster you hold up the lantern and help guide us out. Kyle you have the other lantern, you keep to the rear and light up the tunnel behind us s owe don't end up tripping and dropping Martin."

Melissa and Kyle both nodded in understanding, the medics moved Martin gently onto a field stretcher, once on John and Derek each took a corner , along with the medics and lifted Martin up to carry him out.

Once they had reached the outside, the group gingerly carried Martin over to one of the trucks and placed him inside. The medics swarmed around Martin and began to administer first aid to him. John and the rest stood back while Porter and Grajowski tried their best to stabilize Martin.

"Will he pull through?" John had a concerned look on his face as he asked the medics.

"It's touch and go sir. He has lost a lot of blood and is severely dehydrated. I am not sure if he will survive the day." Porter responded.

John thought for a moment, running his hand through his scalp. "Porter, can I talk to him?"

"He's been drifting in and out of consciousness, I'm not sure if he will be able to last more than a few questions sir." Porter looked John straight in the eye, just to re-enforce his point.

"It's okay Porter, I only have a couple of questions for him."

John leaned into the truck and looked into Martin's eyes. "Martin, I need to know if you heard where the raiders were taking the women and children. Do you remember anything at all that can help us?"

Martin looked at John, his eyes looking tired and his gaze unfocused. He closed his eyes for a moment, pausing to think about John's question.

"Sir…I….I did hear something about going north east or north west…I'm not sure." Martin was hesitant and he shook his head, as if to shake out any cobwebs lingering inside.

"Don't worry Martin, you are doing a fine job. Was there anything else?"

"I think they mentioned stopping for a bit in San Fernando for a supply pick up. I could be wrong, my head is just feeling too foggy Sir." Martin closed his eyes and winced in pain as the medics did their best to treat his wounds.

"That's okay Martin, you did really good. If you can think of anything else, let the medics know and they will get the info to me." John smiled and placed his hand on Martin's shoulder. " In the mean time, you try to get some rest. This truck is going to take you back to Hammerhead bunker, they can take better care of you there."

Porter and Grajowski both looked at John.

"You two decide who comes with us and who goes with Martin. I can't spare both of you to stay with him, we need all the help we can get."

Porter and Grajowski both nodded at John. They turned around and continued to help get Martin as stable for transport as possible.

John stood back and turned to Derek. "You heard what he said?"

"Yes"

"You hear of anything up that way?"

Derek looked down as he thought, seemingly distressed over what he had heard.

A moment later he spoke up. "Connor, I had heard of a camp up north of LA, on the way towards Palmdale. Most of the talk was about some group of former prison inmates that had started to raid weaker camps for food, weapons, and slaves. Their camp could be in San Fernando, or just north of it."

John sighed and shook his head. "Well then, that's a start. We need to get going to San Fernando first, then see what we come up with there. Lets get back to the trucks and get going then." John gave Derek a re-assuring grin and gestured for him to go to the truck, Melissa and Kyle after taking in all that was said, quickly followed Derek to the Hummer.

Porter and Grajowski has finished doing what they could for Martin, they had been speaking in low tones to each other while tending to Martin, it seemed they had come to an agreement as to who was staying with the injured man and who was going with John.

Porter spoke up. "Sir?"

"Yes Porter."

"We've talked it over and decided that I will go with you and Grajowski here will stay with the patient."

"Okay, then it's settled. We move out in 2 minutes Porter, so get your gear and climb into one of the other trucks." John clapped his hand on the young mans shoulder, garnering a broad smile from him.

"Yes sir." Porter spun around and headed to the front of the truck to gather his gear.

John leaned in once more to see how Martin was doing. The man was now sleeping peacefully, his head, arm and leg now bandaged up, an intravenous drip set up to help re-hydrate him. Grajowski was just finishing injecting some pain killers and anti bacterial meds into the injured man.

John leaned in close to Martin's ear and whispered. "Thank you for helping us Martin."

He leaned back, nodded to Grajowski and headed back to his Hummer.

It was getting very close to noon, if it wasn't already. Time was getting short if they wanted to keep on the trail, before it got cold. John knew he had to hurry, if he had any chance of getting to the raider camp before nightfall.

As he approached the Hummer, John could see Blair and her helpers had managed to gather the bodies into one pile. Wood scraps and other flammable items were placed in and around the makeshift funeral pyre, gasoline had been poured around to help accelerate the burn.

Blair and a couple of the men had gathered near to the pile, their heads bowed in a short prayer. John came up and stood beside Blair, she looked over to him, her face filled with dread and grief. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Blair, we should go now." he whispered into her ear.

"I know Connor….I …I just wanted to say a few words for them." Blair whispered back, he voice filled with torment.

John gave her a gentle squeeze of support. "Go ahead Blair."

Derek, Melissa, and Kyle walked up behind John and Blair. They came to pay their respects to the dead, it was the least they could do, even if it wasn't a proper burial. Times like this were rare, but needed, for they helped to keep people human and in touch with humanity.

Blair cleared her throat and spoke. "We are gathered her to say goodbye. These men died because others saw fit to kill them, just so they could not be a threat. These men did not die in vain, for we will avenge their deaths, find the bastards that did this and make sure justice is served." She paused to wipe a tear from her cheek and finished by saying Amen, then she looked over to John. "Let's get going Connor."

John nodded to one of the men holding a flare, signaling for it to be lit and tossed into the funeral pyre. Flames slowly grew as the wood and papers helped to fuel its growth. John and the others watched for a moment, then turned to leave. There was no time to stay, the women and children needed their help, grieving could be done at another time.

The group slowly made its way to the trucks, people split away to go to their designated vehicles. John's group climbed in to theirs, no one saying a word. They would remain silent for the next hour, each of them dealing with what had happened in their own way.

Some, like Derek and John, kept everything inside.

Blair quietly stared out the window, not bothering to wipe away the stray tear that fell down her cheek. She hated what was happening, what had happened and what they might find after they reached the raider camp.

John barked his orders over the mic and the convoy lurched forward and continued on its way towards the next stop, San Fernando.

Thick clouds of black sooty smoke wafted its way towards the sky as the funeral pyre's flames swept themselves up into a frenzy. The convoy of trucks slowly trundled by the grisly scene as they made their way north. Everyone slowed down to gaze upon the dead, no one that slipped by was unaffected. Some felt angry by what had happened, others shocked, all of them were that more committed to helping find the sadistic animals that had carried out this atrocity.

…

It was early afternoon at Club V, Allison and Amanda had spent the morning checking out their surroundings and watching the guards for any signs of weakness.

It was pretty clear to Allison that the guards saw no threat in the prisoners they were guarding, to the captors it was just women and children, hardly anything to worry about.

Allison was glad the guards seemed passive, as this could help aid her and Amanda in their escape.

After walking around the whole inside of their prison, it had become clear to the girls that they would not be able to escape through a crack in the wall or any place else. The gangsters had done a good job at sealing up the jailhouse.

Allison climbed up onto an old counter top and sat down, letting her feet dangle off the end, Amanda plunked herself down beside Allison, but sat cross legged on top of the counter and started to run her finger in the dust.

"So what do we do now Allie?"

"Not much we can do, they have this place all locked up. It would take days to dig our way out or pull down a barricade." Allison let out a sigh and stared down at her feet.

Amanda was drawing a happy face in the dust with her finger, then she looked over to Allison. "Yeah, yer right Allie, we'll need to wait until they take us outa here."

"I don't know about you Mandy, but I'm gettin hungry. When is it time for food?" Allison patted her stomach as it grumbled away.

"Hmmm….should be soon. Looks like the others are getting ready to go to the gate." Amanda pointed over to a small group now gathering near the entrance to the jail.

It was not more than a moment later, when they heard the loud rumble of the truck engine. Sure enough, the truck ambled its way towards the jail, with its trailer in tow.

The same two women were on the back of the truck, hitching a ride to the gate. The truck pulled up, Dana and Kim hopped off the tailgate and headed for the trailer to unload the food.

Once inside, the women and children lined up for their share of the meal, Allison and Amanda waited until most everyone was served, then they too lined up.

"Hi Kim, Dana." Allison gave them a warm smile as she got up and peered into the drum filled with some sort of soupy broth. "What's for dinner?"

Kim and Dana both smiled back at Allison, Dana spoke up first. "Seems we got the same as yesterday, but a lot more runnier. Those assholes told us to thin it out a bit so it could last longer." Dana tilted her head towards the men in the truck.

"Ummm…that's okay girls, I don't wanna get all fat and ugly." Amanda quipped as she patted her belly.

Kim chuckled as she handed Amanda her bowl and spoon. "Girl, you get any thinner and yer just gonna blow away in the wind."

"Maybe that would be good for me, I could slip through a crack in the wall." Amanda winked.

"Ya well if you did get out, you'd hafta fight off the packs of wild dogs, crazy people and the cold at night." Kim had gotten serious, it was as if she had tried to escape herself and had found out first hand, what was out there.

"What do you mean by crazy people?" Allison looked puzzled. She had never hear of these crazy people before.

"Their not right in the head, they live like animals and sometimes eat people. They ain't friendly at all and would just as quickly kill you, just so they could have a meal." Kim had looked up, she was not lying to Allison, she was warning her. "Some hunt alone, some in packs like dogs, all of them are dangerous."

"Even these gangsters holding us here are scared shitless of them others." Dana quickly added while she filled the girls bowls.

"Yeah, but if we did manage to escape with weapons and a vehicle, we would be fine." Allison had looked Kim straight in the eye and Kim knew the two girls were planning something.

Kim lowered her voice so others would not hear. "Look, I know you two wanna get outa here, but I just wanna let ya know it aint gonna be easy and it aint gonna get better if ya did get out."

"We'll take our chances out there and if you guys wanna come along, you're welcome to." Allison was sincere in her offer to Dana and Kim, she looked from one to the other for any signs they would join, but the two women just looked down.

"No Allison, I can't take the chance, they would shoot me and feed me to the dogs, or worse they might just whip me again and do other stuff." Dana had looked up to Allison, she had a pain written all over her face. Allison knew right then that Dana had given up on any chance of leaving.

"You guys just can't give up like that, you need to try. This is no life here, but there is better life out there." Allison kept her voice low, but was visibly upset with the two girls just giving up.

"Better life? Where?" Kim snorted.

"John Connor and the resistance." Allison retorted.

"He doesn't exist, I heard he died when they blew up Skynet central, two years ago."

"No, he's alive, I've heard some of his speeches on the radio."

"Nahhh…. he is nuthin but a ghost now. His voice kept alive by the resistance to scare off Skynet." Kim waved her hand as if dismissing the subject.

"So come with Mandy and me and we'll prove he's real." Allison believed she almost had them hooked into helping her and Amanda.

Kim sighed, shook her head and smirked. "Ya know, for two little scrawny girls, you got more balls than all of the men in this camp. Look, if we can help, we will. Okay?"

Allison and Amanda looked at each other, their faces turning red when they caught on to what Kim was saying.

"Balls?" They blurted out in stereo and then burst out laughing.

Kim shook her head and muttered something a bout teenage girls under her breath.

"Good, that's all Mandy and I are askin' for." Allison's smile was genuine.

"Ya I'll see if I can help too, I'm not sure what I can do." Dana had come to realize that Allison and Amanda were two very determined girls and if anyone could pull off an escape, it would be them.

"When the time comes, you'll know Dana. Thanks for offering to help us." Allison had leaned in and whispered into Dana's ear.

One of the guards had seen the girls talking and heard them laughing. "HEY…. you girls get your food and go, there's no chit chat allowed." He yelled.

"Says who?" Amanda yelled back.

"Just shut the fuck up, you girls get goin'." The guard was at a loss for words, quickly losing his temper as he yelled back and waved his arm in a weak attempt to dismiss the group of girls.

Becky strolled up close to where the guard was standing, anger and frustration from the gangsters taking her boy from her making her brave enough to speak out. "Why don't you come in here and make us?"

"What?" The guard was surprised.

"You heard me. What's the matter, you scared of a few girls?" Becky spat out.

Kim leaned in to Allison and whispered. "They took Becky's boy last night."

Allison nodded her head in understanding, but kept her eyes locked on what was unfolding between Becky and the guard.

"Get back to your corner bitch." Desperately trying to save face, the guard reverted to name calling.

"Why don't you come in and make me?" Becky had stood closer and crossed her arms in defiance.

"You're a crazy bitch, you'll get yours soon enough."

The guard had lost his cool and Becky knew it, so she pressed him further.

"What, that's all you can say? You too stupid to think for yourself, Ya need the Boss to hold yer hand?"

"Get the fuck away before I shoot you bitch." The guard had turned around and aimed his gun right at Becky.

It was at that moment when his buddy stepped in and placed his hand on the guard's shoulder." Franky, calm down, she's just gone nuts. Leave her alone,"

Franky lowered his gun and looked over at his buddy. "Easy for you to say, she ain't buggin' you."

Look, just go take a break. Go have a drink and send some one else back here, I'll keep watch."

Franky's shoulders dropped as he silently agreed and turned to leave.

"Yeah, that's right, go run away…..Pussy." Becky put in her last word.

Franky quickly turned back, his face red with anger. He pulled his rifle to his shoulder and in a split second had squeezed the trigger, firing off a round.

The bullet met its mark with pinpoint accuracy.

Becky had no chance as the speeding missile had found its mark right between her eyes.

The bullet exploded out the back of her head, spreading blood, bone and brain matter everywhere. Becky's body went limp and crumpled to the floor, her face frozen in shock.

Allison gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth, she had seen death before, but never in this way, never so callous and cold blooded. Unthinking she dropped her bowl of food, she had lost her appetite, quietly she stared at the body.

Amanda had screamed when the shot rang out, she couldn't bear to look at Becky and had quickly turned to face the other way, fear and helplessness getting the best of her.

Other women had gathered to see what had happened, but none dared to get close to Becky's body. Franky still had his rifle up to his shoulder, ready to fire another round at any second.

"You stupid, fucking idiot." Franky's buddy grabbed the rifle and pulled it away from Franky, then he took the butt end of the rifle and cracked Franky in the jaw, knocking him down to the ground. "I told you to go take a break, not shoot her. Fuck, now the boss is gonna be pissed."

As if by cue, a vehicle emerged from the raider camp, the Boss and a couple of his minions sped towards the scene of bloodshed in an old Jeep. The truck pulled up and skidded to a halt, right near where the two guards stood. The dust and dirt kicked up and slowly drifted around the two men.

The Boss jumped out of the Jeep and hefted his bulky mass towards the two guards.

"What the hell is going on?" The boss yelled.

"Franky got pissed off at one of the women and decided to shoot her." The guard explained.

What?" The Boss's face turned beet red.

"She called him a pussy, so he got mad and shot her."

The Boss looked down at Franky. "Is this true?"

Rubbing his sore jaw and slowly getting up , Franky answered with a yes.

The Boss lost all control and exploded with rage, his fist lashed out and struck a shocked Franky squarely in the jaw, a sickly snap could be heard as Franky's jaw shattered. He yelped out in pain and fell backwards into the dirt. The Boss was not finished with Franky, he leaned down, grabbed the injured man by the hair with his left hand and proceeded to beat the helpless man senseless.

Out of breath and with beads of sweat running down his face, the Boss finally dropped the unconscious man to the ground.

Wiping his forehead, the Boss turned to the other guard and pointed at him "Next time a stupid asshole like Franky goes to shoot one of our meal tickets, you shoot him first. Got it?"

"Yyyes sir Boss." The guard was visibly shaken by what he had just witnessed.

The Boss looked over to the two still sitting in the truck. "You two, throw this sack of shit in the back of the truck and take him out of the camp. Leave him for the animals to finish off."

Looking to the guard and the other men in the food delivery truck, he barked out some orders for them to go and grab Becky's body and pile it in with Franky.

Allison and Amanda had been watching everything unfold and they were still dumbstruck over what had just happened. Life was not precious here, it was spat upon and treated like garbage by these men. Most women just turned and went about settling in for the day, they had become hardened and unfeeling over time. For Allison and Amanda, the recent events just made them that much more determined to escape this hell.

…

John and his rescue group had been heading north east for about an hour, they had been following some tracks left by the other convoy of vehicles. John and Derek were sure these were the tracks left by the raiding party that had taken the women and children.

There were few groups that had access to running vehicles, let alone a group of vehicles.

They had entered San Fernando along the remnants of Highway 5. By Derek's recollection, a raider supply depot should be near by. it was there that the men had hoped they would find some clue as to where the women and children had been taken.

Sure enough, as they rounded a corner, John noticed a gas bar with a food store. Some signs of people staying there were evident, as there was fresh garbage around the store and about half a dozen people were milling about the exterior of the dilapidated building.

John got on the radio and signaled for the convoy to stop at the gas bar, but to be ready for anything. As he slowed the vehicle down, John looked over to Blair

"Williams, you Kyle and Melissa stay in the truck and keep an eye out for trouble. Derek and I are going out to see what kind of info we can dig up.

"Are you sure it's safe to do Connor?" Blair was concerned.

John smiled at Blair. "I got you and the other two amigos to watch our back."

Blair looked closely at John and then back to Derek, before speaking. "You two just be careful."

Derek lifted his eyebrow and smirked. "We'll be back, don't worry."

"I always worry Derek."

John and Derek climbed out of the Hummer and headed for the food store, their weapons pointed to the ground so as to not provoke any hostility.

There were about eight people outside of the store, all were armed but they were strangely at ease. An older thin man with a bald head strolled out of the store.

"Howdy gents." The bald man called out. "You bring by something to trade?"

"That depends." John called back.

"Well c'mon in and we'll talk." The bald man grinned and waved for them to follow him.

Derek looked to John, he was having a hard time controlling his anxiety. John clapped his hand on Derek's shoulder and whispered under his breath. " Don't worry, just stay calm and I'll do all the talking. Okay?"

Derek nodded and strode along with John towards the store entrance.

There was no door, just the gap in the wall where it used to be. John and Derek quickly looked around as they entered. Sure enough there were more armed men inside, along with some women and small kids running about. The kids stopped to look at the new arrivals and then slowly backed away, closer to the armed men and women.

Boxes of supplies were piled in the back, crates of other items were also stacked neatly in piles. The store was set up like an old western trading post, with some items on display, but most packed away for safe keeping.

"So what can I do for you gents?" The bald man sat down at a table, he motioned for Derek and John to sit down in one of the other chairs by the table.

John plunked himself down and stretched out his legs. "Ahhh…feels nice to sit down after driving for most of the morning."

"You guys lookin' for anything in particular?" The bald man's eyes narrowed in question.

John looked over to Derek and then back at the bald man. "We're lookin' for some girls."

"Oh, what kind of girls?"

John leaned in and smiled at the bald man. "The kind that will keep my men happy."

Derek shifted uncomfortably in his chair and looked nervously around.

Seeing this, the bald man spoke up. "Seems your friend is a bit skittish. Anything I should know?"

John leaned back and left his hand on the table and replied nonchalantly. "He prefers boys."

Derek cast John a dirty look, but settled back into trying to keep a stony look.

The bald man chuckled and shook his head. "Well boys, you're out of luck here, we deal in consumable goods like food and ammo, but I do know of a gang that specializes in women and boys."

"Really?" John leaned in his senses sharpened.

Derek perked up upon hearing the bald man.

"Yeah they get girls and boys all the time, but you gotta have some good shit to trade."

"Oh we got some good stuff." John said eagerly.

The bald man leaned in and rubbed his chin. "So what do I get for giving out the info?"

"We have some medical supplies to trade." John casually mentions.

Derek flashes John a surprised look.

The bald man notices this and remarks. "Your friend don't seem to think it's a good idea."

John smiles and winks. "If we get what we want, I'm sure he'll be happy. If ya know what I mean."

The bald man leans back and lets out a hearty laugh. "Okay, so lets make a deal then."

The two men barter back and forth until both seem happy with the deal. John and the bald man spit into their hands and shake on the deal. Then they all get up and make ready for the trade.

As they leave the store, Derek tosses John a dirty look and grumbles under his breath.

"You didn't have to say I liked boys."

John gives Derek a crooked grin as he walks towards the Hummer. "I had to think fast, before you blew it."

"Gee thanks Connor"

"Anytime Reese"

Derek climbs into the Hummer, John goes to the back of the vehicle and removes a large bag containing medical items.

"What are you doing John?" Blair asks.

"It's for a trade, for information on the raider camp location." John explains as he hefted the large bag onto his shoulder.

John walked back towards the store and met back up with the bald man. He dropped the bag at the man's feet and opens it up for inspection.

The bald man looks down and smiles. "Well everything looks fine here."

"It's what we agreed upon." John replies.

"Yep, it is. Now for the location of the camp, you need to keep going north on number five here, until you get to Valencia Boulevard. that's north of the split to the freeway number fourteen. You need to head on Valencia about two kilometers, then you'll reach the mall on on the north side of the road, or what's left of it, that's where they are. Just tell them Peterson sent ya."

"So it's in the Santa Clarita area?"

"Yep"

"Thanks Peterson." John grins and extends his hand out to shake.

Peterson clasps John's hand and gives it a quick shake.

"Oh and by the way, if yer buddy wants a real man, tell him to stop by and visit here." Peterson winks at John.

"I'll be sure to tell Derek for you Peterson, he was quite impressed with your little trading post here and thanks again for the info." John smirks.

Peterson ponders for a moment and then asks. "I never got your name."

"It's John."

"John who?"

"Baum"

Peterson squints his eyes. " Sure it isn't Connor?"

"Yep, I'm sure. I hear Connor died a couple of years back in San Francisco. Or so I've heard." John replied.

Peterson grunts in agreement. "Yeah I think I heard about that, it's about the same time Skynet stopped coming around trying to kill us. You have a safe trip, it's been a pleasure doing business with ya John Baum."

"Same here Peterson." John smiles, turns towards the truck and slowly makes his way back to the Hummer.

Once he is inside the truck, John gives the order over the radio to move out, fired up the Hummer and drove off to the north.

Derek leans forward. "So did he tell you where they went?"

"Yes Derek….ohhh…and Peterson wants a date with you." John winked in the rear view mirror at Derek.

"What?Who?"

"The bald guy I talked to, his name is Peterson." John barely contained his amusement as he continued. "When he heard you preferred boys…."

"Hold on, wait a minute. I never said that." Derek cut in waving his arms frantically in the air, the futility of it almost made John burst out in laughter, but he managed to keep a straight face.

Blair, Melissa and Kyle all perked up to listen.

"No, I did and he took a shine to you. He mentioned something about you stopping in anytime for a visit. If you know what I mean." John winked.

"But…I…I'm not that way. I like girls." Derek was all flustered.

Blair and Melissa both looked at each other and laughed, Kyle joining in shortly after.

"You girls never mind, I'm on to yer scheme." Derek shot back, his pride now bruised.

"Oh really?" Blair asked, with her brow lifted.

"Who told you we had a scheme?" Melissa cut in.

"A little bird."

Both Blair and Melissa turned towards Kyle, their eyes boring into his skull. Kyle pretended not to notice, but slipped lower into his seat. Melissa made a fist and pounded Kyle on the thigh.

"Owwww…What was that for?" Kyle winced and rubbed his leg.

"That's for being a wiener." Melissa spat out, folded her arms and sat back in her seat.

Derek laughed. "You ladies underestimate brotherly love, we keep nothing from each other."

"Oh? So what did he tell you?" Blair's interest perked up.

"Everything" Derek replied smugly.

"Everything?"

"Uh huh"

Kyle sunk even lower in his spot, but Blair managed to lean over the back seat to give Kyle a second fist punch to the same thigh. Kyle yelped again and grabbed hold of his now throbbing thigh.

Frustrated, and at a loss for words, Blair uttered the one word she could think of.

"Wiener"

Then she too crossed her arms and sat back in her seat, a dark cloud slowly formed in the now small confines of the Hummer.

Kyle nursed his injury and sulked in his corner of the back seat. Derek and John looked away, both hiding huge grins.

Being mid afternoon now, it would be close to dark before they reached the raider camp, if they had received the right information. John had a feeling that Peterson was a man of his word and he had a good feeling they would find this place before nightfall.

…

It had been a few hours since Becky had been shot, Allison and Amanda were still stunned over the thoughtlessness and brutality of her death. The other women had moved on, they saw incidents like this on almost a daily basis, most of them had become numb to the emotional effects of a sudden death.

Amanda and Allison had gone back to their spots on the counter

"I still can't believe he shot Becky." Amanda mused.

"All the more reason for us to get the hell out of this place." Allison replied as she poked a long stick into the ground.

"When do you think they'll come for us Allie?"

"Probably the same time as they did for the boys." Allison tossed the stick and let out a deep sigh. _Derek I wish you were here, I don't know if I can get us out of here. I wish I was with you in a safe place. _She remained quiet as she thought about Derek and if he would ever find her.

"Allie?" Amanda looked over at Allison's gloomy face.

"Yes"

"We're still gonna try to escape, right?"

"Any chance we see, we go for it." Allison turned had turned to Amanda and looked straight into her eyes, her voice filled with fire and determination.

…

It was just about an hour before darkness would settle in, John had found the turn off to Valencia. The sign for the road has remained amazingly readable, despite years of neglect. John signaled the convoy to stop for a break, he needed to stop and study an old map, to see how they would approach the mall.

"You got a plan brewing Connor?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, I do, but I need to check out a map first."

John reached into a bag and withdrew a handful of maps. Shuffling through, he finally found a map of southern California and pulled it out to see. Blair, Melissa, Derek and Kyle all leaned in to take a look at the map.

John pointed to where they were on the map. "This is where we are right now, as far as I can tell. There is supposed to be a country club beside the mall, along with some residential housing. I think we need to send some people around through that wooded area to scout out the mall on the west side. Some others can circle to the north along the highway to find some vantage points for looking at the mall from the north and east. Finally we will need a small group to go south of the mall, but far enough away so they don't alert the guards posted there."

"How do you know there will be guards?" Melissa asked.

"Because I would have them posted there if I wanted to protect the mall. Chances are, they have guards posted all around the mall area and with little natural cover, it will be hard to get in close without being seen." John looked over to Melissa to make sure she understood what he had just explained, she smiled and nodded her head.

"Connor, I'll get some of then men organized for the sweep around the mall." Blair grabbed a similar map and headed off towards the other vehicles to call a meeting.

"Make sure everyone has walkies and earphones for communicating." John called out after Blair. She waved her hand in the air, signaling she had heard him and continued on her way.

"Do we have sniper rifles?" Derek looked at John in question.

"Yeah, we got a couple of RC-50's, an M98B and a Tac-50." John answered, his mind was like a bear trap, when it came to remembering weapons.

"Tac-50?" Derek wondered out loud.

"Yeah, I read once it was the sniper rifle used in Afghanistan to make some of the longest range kills in history over 2400 meters in distance. It's very accurate and deadly."

"I can shoot one of those." Melissa proudly spoke up.

Derek shot her a look of surprise.

Kyle nodded his head at Derek. "Yep, she can shoot. Mel and Blair are probably the best snipers we got."

"That's why I'm glad you came along Webster. We need you, Williams and a couple of others to take up positions around the mall. If need be, we will take out any hostiles with the long range rifles, just so that we don't suffer any more casualties than need be." John had gotten down to business and started to get everything set up the way he felt was best, in order to take out the hostiles and reduce any possibilities of civilian casualties.

Blair had gathered the rest of the group together for a final meeting before sending the men and women out to scout. John met with the group and went over the finer details of the search and rescue. He also reminded them to keep their eyes peeled for any other hostiles in the area as there had been reports from Sikes about scavengers and packs of wild dogs roaming around north of L.A. Skynet was never far from John's mind either and it bothered him that it had not reared its ugly head in a long time. They were overdue for a skirmish with Skynets forces.

Less then an hour later, the trucks were safely tucked away, out of sight and protected with a skeleton force of four. The rest were sent out in smaller groups of 3 to scout out the mall and set up the snipers. A main group consisting of John, Derek, and thirteen others would make up the force to storm the camp and rescue the captives.

Although their force was small, John had figured that as long as they had the element of surprise, they would pull off the rescue without a hitch. That was as long as they had found the right camp.

John, Derek and the main force stayed east of the mall, tucked away in the woods, but still able to gather some intel of the set up in the camp. Blair and Melissa headed up two of the smaller sniper fireteams, taking up positions to the south and west of the mall respectively.

…

The sun was just setting and dark shadows were now forming all over the camp. Allison and Amanda looked to each other nervously, both hoping that Blain and his goons had decided not to come for them.

Their hopes were dashed when they heard the familiar sound of the half ton truck rumble to life and slowly get louder as it made its way towards them.

"Allie, I'm scared." Amanda's face was tense with fear.

Feeling scared too, Allison put her arm around Amanda to help calm both hers and Amanda's nerves."Mandy, don't worry, we'll find a way out and we will have Dana and Kim to help us."

_I hope. _Allison thought to herself.

"I hate it here, I don't want to be here. I won't go with them." Amanda spoke defiantly.

"Mandy, we need to go with them, it'll be our best chance to escape." Allison tried to sooth Amanda and calm her down. She ran her fingers through Amanda's hair and hugged her tightly.

Amanda's eyes welled up with tears as she began to succumb to her fears. "Allie, I'm not as strong and brave as you, I…I don't know if I can do this."

Allison continued to hug Amanda and stroke her hair, tears were welling up in her eyes too, fearful emotions getting the better of her. Allison fought to stay in control, but found as the truck got closer, she got weaker.

Allison glanced around at the other women, they too had a look of dread as the truck made its way to the gate.

The truck stopped, Blain, Bubba and Mikey all climbed out of the vehicle and made their way towards the gate. Three other men followed behind with ropes to be used to tie up the women they were to pick out. The gate was unlocked and creaked as it was opened, the noise grating on the girl's nerves.

"Ladies, we're back." Blain bellowed.

A woman called out to Blain. "Where are our boys?"

Blain snickered before answering. "We liked the boys so much, we decided to keep em."

The woman's head lowered in despair and she began to sob.

Blain looked over towards Allison and Amanda, his eyes roaming up and down as he licked his lips in anticipation.

"Ahhhh….Half Pint and Blondie." Blain gave out a deep sigh. "I had a hard time thinking about who I was gonna have tonight, but first off I think I'll start with you." He looked straight into Allison's eyes and pointed to her.

Allison held on tightly to Amada, both of them cowering from him.

Bubba and Mikey stood back, smiles spreading from ear to ear.

"Leave us alone." Allison tried to sound strong, but her voice shook with fear.

Blain just laughed, his belly rolling about as he enjoyed the fear and control he had over the girls. He sauntered over to the girls and pulled them apart, tossing Amanda towards Bubba and tightly gripping onto Allison.

"Bubba wants yer little friend Blondie, he wants payback for what she did to him yesterday." Blain snickered as Allison desperately tried to wiggle free from his grasp.

Keep fighting half pint, I like the challenge." His breath was getting ragged with lust as he pulled her close and whispered into her ear.

Feeling helpless, Allison stopped struggling and let Blain drag her out to the truck. He tossed her towards one of the three men and went back in to gather some more girls.

Allison was promptly tied up, along with Amanda and then they were both tossed into the back of the half ton.

A few hundred meters away, tucked into the woods west of the mall, two lone figures watched the scene unfold. John had his binoculars out, taking in details of how many men were watching the captives and where the truck had come from. He turned to Derek and passed the binoculars.

"Here, take a look and see if you recognize anyone." John whispered.

Derek took a look, his heart beating so hard and fast, he thought it would leap out of his chest.

"Look closely at the truck, they're loading up some girls into it."

Derek trained the lenses on the vehicle, his body twitched and jaw dropped as he saw the familiar slender girl with shoulder length auburn hair and soft brown eyes be tied up and tossed into the back of the half ton.

"It's her….Allison." Derek's voice cracked with emotion.

John put his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Calm down Reese, We'll get to her soon enough."

Derek dropped the binoculars from his eyes and looked at John. "They have her best friend too, Amanda, the blond girl."

"We're rescuing as many as we can, all of them if we are lucky." John gave Derek a reassuring smile, then he quietly whispered into the walkie. "Blue team, are you good to go?"

"Blue team locked and loaded sir." Blair's familiar female voice came back over the walkie into John's ear bud.

"Copy that, Blue team locked and loaded." John acknowledged to Blair.

"Green team good to go?" John asked.

"Green team locked and loaded sir." Melissa relayed back.

"Copy that, Green team locked and loaded" John acknowledged to Melissa.

John continued with the same message for Red and Black teams, both reported back they were in position and ready for battle.

John had decided to leave his vehicles further back so as to not risk them being seen or heard. His plan was to use the raider vehicles to help ferry the captives to safety and then destroy them, leaving the raiders with little means to pursue the rescue squad.

Once he figured out where the half ton was going with the girls, he would adapt his plan accordingly.

Allison, Amanda and three other women were piled into the back of the truck, Blain maneuvered his bulk into the truck cab while bubba and Mikey climbed into the back to keep watch over the women. The truck fired up and trundled its way off to the west towards the main road.

Derek and John watched closely as the truck made its way towards them. Derek looked to John, he was anxious to move in and stop the truck, but John signaled to Derek to lay low and keep quiet. Derek gritted his teeth and reluctantly stayed put.

"Where are you taking us?" Allison called out to Bubba, her voice barely audible above the rumbling exhaust.

Bubba leaned in closer to Allison. "We got us a nice little house just past these woods, all private and comfy so we don't get disturbed."

Allison cringed and looked away in disgust. _Private may mean no guards and a better chance to escape. _Allison thought to herself.

John and Derek watched the truck go by and saw it turn into the small residential street just past the wooded patch they were hiding in. Since most of the houses were either non existent or too dilapidated to live in, it was easy to see which house the truck went to.

They both had a good idea what was going to happen in the house, Derek was ready to move, but John again signaled him to remain where he was.

John contacted the other teams and relayed to them what had just happened. The new plan was to split up the main force, with part of John's squad storming the house, while the rest were to move in and free the captives on his signal.

_I wish I had brought more people with me. _ John thought to himself.

He had underestimated the size of the raiders force and that they had a house as well as the main camp.

Six men got off of the truck and herded the women into the house. By the looks and sound of it, there were possibly three or more men inside of the house, as well as two more that had stood guard outside while the truck had done its errand.

John looked down and checked his weapons, both his hand gun and MP5 had silencers and he had made sure Derek also had weapons with silencers too.

John contacted Blair's team and had her move to a better position so as to provide help for John's squad if need be, he also had Melissa's team move her position to help in covering the main camp while Blair's team engaged the house with John. Surprise was to be their advantage.

The truck stopped and the girls were roughly dragged out of the back and pushed towards the house. Allison looked around to see any signs of possible escape routes, she noted the tree line off to the east of her, a possible temporary hiding spot, if she and Amanda got out of the house.

Once inside the house, Allison was separated from Amanda and the rest of the women.

She desperately looked around for Dana or Kim, but failed to see them anywhere inside the house.

The other females were taken to a different part of the house, Amanda and Allison were shuffled off to upstairs to separate bedrooms, the rest remaining in the main living room.

Allison was tossed into the bedroom by one of Blain's goons, she lost her balance and ended up falling to the floor. She looked around, but saw that the room was spartan in appearance, for there was only a mattress off in one corner of the room, with some dirty blankets piled haphazardly around it.

Blain slipped into the room, a bottle of hard liquor in his right hand. "I brought us something to drink in celebration of tonight's festivities." He winked at Allison and closed the door behind him

"Go fuck yourself Blain." Allison venomously spat out.

"Hmmm…. Nope, I had plans of fucking you half pint. I'll have you begging for more when I'm done with ya. Tonight we are going to have some fun." Blain let out a chuckle and then took a large gulp from the bottle of booze.

Allison shuffled further back towards the wall close to the window, fear was rearing its ugly head again and Allison was slowly losing control of her self.

_Keep it together Allie, find a way out. _Allison desperately looked for a way to get by Blain.

Blain leered at Allison, drinking in her slender boyish form. She was still young and had just started to become a woman, but Blain didn't mind, he would just use her and toss her away when he was done.

"Let's see what you look like naked little half pint." Blain leaned in to untie Allison.

As soon as she was free, Allison bolted towards the door, but her arm was quickly caught in Blain's iron grip. He threw her onto the bed and kneeled down close to her. Allison desperately kicked and punched at Blain , but it failed to slow him down. He lowered his massive bulk down on top of Allison, slowly squeezing the air out of her lungs.

She could smell his rotten breath and foul body odor as his sweaty mass covered her small frame. Allison turned her head to avoid looking at Blain, but he forced her face back to look at him when he grabbed her jaw with his free hand.

"Yer a real pretty one half pint, I'm gonna keep ya here all night, 'till I break ya." Blain whispered into her ear, his rancid breath churning her stomach.

Blain put the bottle down next to the mattress and leaned in closer to Allison. He nuzzled his face into her neck and slid his tongue along the side of her face up to her ear. Allison shut her eyes, her body shivered with fear and disgust from his grotesque attempts at arousal.

"Awww…yer shakin' like a leaf half pint. Am I turnin' you on?" Blain softly murmured into her ear as his hands roamed along her slim body.

Allison wriggled to get away, but Blain was too large and heavy. Tears of frustration were beginning to roll down her cheek as she desperately fought a losing battle to free herself.

"Get the hell off of me. Leave me alone." Allison yelled.

Blain just laughed and continued with his assault on Allison's body.

Sounds from the next room penetrated the wall as Amanda went through a similar fight to try and get away. Bubba was more brutal with Amanda since he still held a grudge over the injuries he got from her attempt to escape.

Allison could hear her being thrown about as her body was slammed into the adjoining wall. There was one final loud thud and then the next room grew quiet.

"Seems like bubba softened yer lil' friend up. She won't be no trouble no more." Blain grinned and began to move his lips towards Allison's, she tried to turn her head, but he still had her jaw in his vice like grip.

John nodded to Derek and signaled for him to follow close behind. Before they left the safety of the trees, John called on Blair to take out any guards outside of the house.

It was less than a minute later when the two guards out strolling behind the house were hit. One second they were walking and talking together, the next they were on the ground with half their heads missing.

"Targets neutralized." Blair's voice announced into John's ear piece.

"Copy that Blue team. Move in for extraction." John whispered back into his mic.

John, Derek and five other men followed a path to the house, all of them with silenced guns. Quickly they moved closer to the house, John signaled Derek to go towards the front with three others, while he went the back way with the other two men.

A quick hand signal from John indicated they were to burst in simultaneously in one minute, every one nodded and proceeded to their points of entry.

John quietly crept towards the back door, past the diesel generators grumbling away.

_Hmmm all the creature comforts, probably got hot running water too, all at the expense of others. _John's hand tightened around the gun handle in anger, the more he saw, the more he wanted to catch the leader and make an example of him.

John checked his watch and signaled to the two others it was time. He tried the door, it was unlocked, he slowly opened it and slipped in, followed by the others.

At the front door, Derek eagerly waited for the signal. His palms were sweaty and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest, adrenalin was kicking in overtime.

Finally the group leader signaled it was time to enter.

Both groups were inside at the same time, with guns ready to fire on any hostiles.

Derek's group was to clear the front of the house and check the garage for any more hostiles and captives, John's group was to clear the rear of the house and the upstairs.

As soon as John went in the back door, he was in the kitchen. It was there where he met up with two women and one guard. The guard suffered two quick shots to the heart, before he realized what had just happened, the tow women just stood in shock.

"Where are the captives?" John whispered.

The younger girl pointed straight up. "They took two girls up there, you need to get to them first."

John nodded thanks to her and signaled to the men to follow him up stairs. Before he left he tilted his head to the women and quietly told them to go outside and run to the front of the house. Dana and Kim wasted no time in fleeing out the back door.

Derek and the others had cleared the living room of two armed men, each with a pair of bullets in them, one of the rescuers grabbed the distraught women in the room and hurried them out the front door, while Derek and the others now headed towards the garage.

John heard some screaming and loud thumping from the upstairs. Fearing the worst, he hurried up the staircase taking two steps at a time. At the top of the stairs stood a guard, John rushed him and plugged two rounds into the surprised guard, instantly he dropped like a rock. Seeing no more guards, John signaled his men to go to the check and clear the upstairs rooms.

Coming up to one of the doors, John heard a young female voice yell, just as his men burst into the adjoining room. Two rounds were fired, followed by a loud thud, a second later the men came out with a young blond girl, her face covered in bruises and her shirt half torn apart. Tears were still running down her cheek as John went up to her.

"My name is John, I'm with Derek. Is Allison here too?" John looked into her eyes as he spoke softly and quietly.

Without a word the girl nodded her head and pointed towards the door where John had heard the female voice yell. John smiled and signaled for one of the men to take the blond girl out to safety, but she shook her head, refusing to go.

John gave her a questioning look, but she pointed to the door and whispered that she was not leaving without Allison. John nodded, turned towards the door and tried the door handle.

Blain had finished giving Allison his sloppy kiss. Now he sat up and went to grab her shirt, but Allison fought back, smacking him with all her might and digging in her nails where ever she could find skin.

"Owww…you little bitch." Blain yelped and smacked Allison across the face with his hand.

Allison saw stars, her vision went blurry and her head went dizzy from the blow. This gave Blain the chance to tear away her shirt and throw it off to the side.

Happy now that he had gotten his way with her, Blain failed to hear the bedroom door open.

John stood in shock for a split second, for what he saw sickened him.

Here was a girl of maybe fourteen being attacked by a man three times her size.

Anger boiled up inside of John as he lifted the gun to fire, but the large man was too close to the girl for him to shoot, so he called out.

"Stop what you're doing right now." John yelled.

The man never looked back as he continued to tear away at the girls clothing.

John swore under his breath, aimed for the man's shoulder and squeezed the trigger. A silent pop and a puff of smoke indicated the gun had fired. The man never knew what hit him, as he yelped and rolled to the side, his shoulder now turning beet red from the bloody wound.

"Get the hell off of her now." John shouted.

The man rolled off of the girl and groaned as he gripped his wounded shoulder.

John moved closer to the girl, but she scurried to the corner of the mattress against the wall and curled herself up into a ball.

As softly as he could, John talked to the frightened girl. "Hey, I'm not here to hurt you. My name is John and I came here to rescue you."

The pretty girl with the auburn hair glanced nervously up at him and tried to make herself smaller.

John smiled and knelt closer to the girl.

"H..h..how do I know this isn't a trick?" The girl asked, her voice shaking with fear.

John thought for a moment, then smiled at her again. "Derek sent me."

The girls soft brown eyes lit up as she relaxed and uncurled herself, a ghost of a smile came across her lips and her eyes brightened up as she asked again. "Did you say Derek?"

"Yes, Derek Reese and you must be Allison." John held his hand out to help her up.

Allison looked down at her self and quickly covered her bare chest with her arms.

"Oh my God, I….I can't go out looking like this." Allison gasped and her face turning beet red.

John looked over to the wounded man, happy now that he would do no harm to her, removed his jacket and handed it over for Allison to put on.

John looked away from Allison to provide her with a little privacy as she slipped on his jacket and wrapped it tightly against her body, but he kept a watchful eye on Blain.

John turned to see the blond girl peeking inside the doorway, he motioned for her to come into the room. "It's safe now, you can come in."

Not a second later, Amanda rushed into the room and threw herself into Allison, almost knocking her over. Allison returned the hug, clutching Amanda tightly, both girls had tears running down their cheeks, but they were tears of happiness.

A moment later the two girls broke their embrace, Amanda looked over and noticed Blain lying on the floor. Her face twisting in rage, Amanda walked over to Blain and with every ounce of anger and frustration she wound up and kicked Blain in his crotch.

"That'll teach you to mess with my best friend, you …you …asshole."

Blain doubled over in pain and puked on the floor.

John winced at what he had just seen. _ Bad enough to get shot, but to get kicked in the balls? Well he did deserve what was coming to him, but damn that must hurt._

"Nice shot Mandy." Allison smiled and put her arm around Amanda's shoulder. Then she looked over to John. "Where's Derek?"

"C'mon ladies, we need to get out of here. You can see Derek outside, after he finishes sweeping the main floor for captives." John waved them out of the room.

On the way out, Allison looked over to Blain then back to John. "What about him?"

"One of my men will take care of him shortly, we need to get information from him."

John looked over to one of his men. "Hawkins, keep an eye on this one, I'll be right back."

The soldier nodded and moved to stand guard in the bedroom.

Allison, Amanda and John all carefully made their way down to the main level of the house. It was there that they ran into the rest of the rescue group.

Derek had been pre-occupied with checking his weapon and failed to see Allison right away, but as soon as he looked up and saw her, his face broke out in a huge grin.

"Allison" Derek called out.

Allison burst into tears, and ran to Derek, throwing her self into his arms and squeezing him tightly to her. "Derek, I was so scared" she sobbed as she held him tightly in her arms.

Amanda stood back with John, happy to be rescued, but happier that Derek was here too.

Derek ran his fingers through Allison's hair, soothing her as he held onto her. "It's okay now Allie, we found you. Kyle is here too."

"Kyle?" Allison asked while her face was still buried in Derek's chest, she was surprised to hear his name.

"Yeah Kyle. It's a long story, I'll tell you about it later."

"How did you know where to find us?" Allison tilted her head back to ask, her face still wet from tears.

"John Connor" Derek replied and pointed towards John.

Allison turned towards John smiled and rushed over to hug him.

Surprised and overjoyed, John awkwardly hugged Allison back.

"Thank you for coming to save us John." Allison gave John a healthy hug and looked up into his kind blue green eyes, her face glowing with happiness and appreciation for what he had done. She leaned up on her toes and kissed John on the cheek, her face flushed a deep red soon after she realized what she had done.

"Ohh…I..I'm sorry John….I mean John Conner." Allison stammered and shyly looked down at the floor.

Derek chuckled and shook his head at Allison.

John grinned. "No need to say sorry Allison, it's not every day I get kissed by pretty girls I rescue. Usually its guys I end up rescuing and I don't kiss guys."

Allison giggled and looked over to Amanda, she too was covering her mouth and giggling. Amanda saw her opportunity now, she hugged and kissed John on the cheek and then went over to Derek and did the same thing.

"You know it wasn't just us two, there's over thirty of us that came on this mission. Are you two ladies gonna kiss everyone?" Derek lifted his eyebrow in question, a wry grin formed on his lips.

The two girls both shook their heads, then burst out laughing.

John's face went serious as he realized they had to get going and finish the job at hand.

"We need to get moving out of here, Is everything clear?"

"Yes sir Connor, all hostiles are eliminated and accounted for. We found ten more captives in the garage, including some small boys, everyone else is out front." Derek dryly responded.

"Okay lets move out and prepare for phase two of the rescue. I'll meet you outside in a minute, I need to take care of the gangster upstairs." John gave Derek a look before he turned to go upstairs.

Derek knew exactly what John was going to do, he had wished it was him going upstairs instead of John. _I'd teach that bastard a thing or two._

On the way upstairs, John contacted his sniper teams. All was still quiet in the main camp. His other half of the squad was in position and ready to act, but John had them stand down until he could get his captives to safety and then join up with the squad to rescue the rest.

Once he got to the room, John discovered Hawkins on the floor, he knelt down to check for a pulse, none was found. Hawkins neck had been slashed and blood was pooling around the dead mans body.

John swore under his breath and looked around to see if there was any sign of where the large man had escaped to.

A blood trail led out of the room and down the hallway. John quietly followed the trail towards a back bedroom, his nerves on edge, waiting for anything to happen. The back room was dark, no power had been run into this room. It was filled with boxes and miscellaneous items, he figured most likely stolen from other camps.

The blood trail led towards a sliding glass door and a patio deck, the door still undamaged despite the fact most of the other houses were either leveled or about to collapse.

It had been left open, a cool evening breeze was swirling its way into the room. John made his way to the door, careful not to make any noise he peered out the glass.

In the dim evening light he could make out the trail of blood leading to the edge of the deck.

"Fuck" John muttered to himself.

Flicking on the com button, John hoped Blair was still out in position. "Blue team, any movement out the west side of the house?"

"Negative sir, Blue team has joined up at the house for extraction." Blair's familiar voice answered.

"All teams, we are compromised. I repeat, we have been compromised. Stand by for further instructions." John clicked off the transmitter and went into deep thought.

With the leader now escaped, it would be only a matter of time, before the alert was sounded and John's force would be in a fire fight, their element of surprise was about to be trashed.

John needed to act fast, before all hell broke loose.


	10. Chapter 9:Rock and a Hard Place

**Chapter 9: Rock and a Hard Place**

**Raider house near Valencia mall**

John pondered over his dilemma for a moment, then he switched back on his transmitter.

"Blue team, remain with Alpha squad until further orders."

"Copy that sir." Blair's voice quickly responded.

"All other teams, eyes on hostiles, we may have been compromised. Hostile leader has escaped from house and is headed to main camp. Advise if situation around the camp changes."

"Copy that sir." The three other teams and other half of the squad answered back.

John took another look towards the brush and trees, but saw no sign of the large man in the dim evening light. Nightfall had come quickly making it more difficult to track the leader in unfamiliar territory.

John swore to himself, turned away from the door and headed back down the hallway towards the front of the house. He bolted down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, his mind racing a mile a minute as he tried to form a new plan of rescue.

"I'm exiting the house from the west entrance, Blue team and Alfa squad, stand down." John barked out. He was in no mood to be greeted by a dozen weapons trained on his chest.

"Copy that sir." Was heard over his earphone.

...

Blair and her team had moved in from their vantage point, soon after she had taken care of the guards outside of the house. It was her understanding that once the house was secure, she would help in shuffling any of the captives back to the vehicles and then re-join the main force to move in on the main camp and repatriate the rest of the prisoners.

Once she had heard from John that the leader had escaped, she knew they would probably be in big trouble. Timing was of the up most importance now, if they hesitated, the rescue could turn into a shambles.

It had been only a few minutes from when Blair had fired the shots and killing the guards to her team arriving at the front of the raider house. It was a typical suburban home with an attached garage from the early twenty-first century, but now showing its age from years of neglect and abuse.

Paint was peeling and the front driveway had been smothered by a blanket of plants and grasses. Besides remnants of the curb stubbornly poking out from the fresh growth, there almost no sign of a drive having ever been there.

Outside of the house a small group had gathered near the front door.

Small boys, teens, women, soldiers and Derek were all standing in the front yard as Blair and her team approached.

"Hey there Reese, nice to see you made it out in one piece." Blair smiled at Derek as she strolled closer to him.

"They had no chance, most were already half in the bag from drinking home made booze." Derek replied.

Even in the dim light, Blair noticed something different about Derek. He seemed more relaxed and most of the tension in his face had disappeared.

"So what's got you all smiley?" Blair gave him a weird look as she asked.

"We found Allison and her best friend Amanda." Derek beamed.

"So where are they?" Blair looked around.

Derek called over to two young girls sitting in the grass with two older women.

"Allie? Mandy? Can you two come here for a second? I'd like you to meet someone."

Blair noticed right away that both girls looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks, their hair and clothing were a mess. Other than their appearance, the girls seemed to be quite happy, despite what had happened to them. When they got closer, Blair noticed the one girl with dark brown hair was wearing a jacket way too big for her, if she had wanted to, the girl probably could have wrapped it around herself twice.

Upon closer inspection, Blair noticed it was Connor's jacket, his name on the left breast pocket. _ Hmmmm…I wonder what that's all about? _Blair mused.

Allison and Amanda got up as soon as Derek had called them, they had been intently watching Derek talk with the attractive woman that had just walked up. Allison had noticed the woman right away.

The woman had long dark hair, most likely black, but it was hard for Allison to tell, since it had become very dark. She had on some military clothing, a backpack, various items attached to a belt slung around a narrow waist and a huge rifle leisurely draped across one shoulder.

As Allison and Amanda got closer to Derek, they could see the woman was quite beautiful. She had an exotic look about her as if she was part Asian or something like that. Allison could see the woman was smiling at Derek and he was smiling back.

_Hmmmm…I wonder if they might get together. _Allison thought to herself.

"She looks really pretty." Amanda quietly whispered to Allison.

Allison looked over to Amanda and nodded in agreement. Both girls then grinned, they were happy to see Derek looking a bit more relaxed and talking with the woman.

Derek began introductions as the two girls came up beside him. "Blair, I'd like you to meet Allison Young and her friend Amanda Dale. This is the biggest reason for me asking for Connor and the rest of you guys for help." Derek pointed to the two girls.

"Allie, Mandy, this is Blair Williams, she is one of John Connor's command elite." Derek looked back over to Blair and grinned.

"I'm pleased to meet you Allison and Amanda." Blair smiled and warmly extended her hand out to shake.

"Nice to meet you too Ms Williams, you can call me Allie." Allison shook Blair's hand, her bright eyes eager to take in every detail of this new mystery woman with Derek.

"You girls can call me Blair, no need for formalities."

"Well then, you can call me Mandy. It's nice to meet you Blair." Amanda shyly smiled and looked down after shaking Blair's hand.

"Nice jacket Allison, did Connor give that to you?" Blair questioned.

Allison looked down for a moment, her face turning a little pink from embarrassment. Then in a quiet voice, she spoke.

"John Connor gave it to me after he helped rescue me from Blain, the leader of the gang. Blain had torn off my shirt and I had nothing to wear."

"Ahhh…that's Connor for you, always there to help someone in need." Blair nodded her head and gave Allison a wink.

Allison looked from Derek to Blair for a moment.

"Are you two an item?" Allison looked first to Blair and then Derek as she asked with a wry grin.

Blair smiled and looked over to Derek and lifter her brow in question. "I dunno, are we?"

If it had not been so dark out, the girls would have noticed Derek turning multiple shades of red, but what they did notice was his sudden uneasiness at being cornered on a touchy subject. Caught off guard and at a loss for words, Derek did his best to answer.

"I…um…we…Blair and I are friends, we just met the day before yesterday." Derek quickly answered as he glared at Allison. _ She's always trying to match me with someone._ He thought to himself.

Allison saw Derek's evil look and smirked. She decided to press the issue. "I think you're really pretty Blair and I bet Derek does too. I think you two would make a great couple."

Allison clasped her hands behind her back, swayed a little back and forth and looked from Blair over to Derek, eager to pick up on anything leaning towards them becoming an item.

"Why thank you Allie, are you Derek's matchmaker?" Blair liked seeing Derek squirm and so chose to go along with what Allison was doing.

"Yeah, Mandy and me think he needs a girlfriend. Maybe he won't be so crabby around us, if he has one." Allison looked over to Amanda for support.

"Yep, he needs a good woman. Us two, can only do so much to keep him in line." Mandy replied with a mock serious tone in her voice.

All three girls burst out laughing at Derek's expense.

Derek knew he was outnumbered so he wisely chose to remain silent, if he spoke any more words it would just get him deeper in trouble with the three women.

Blair stopped for a moment and tapped her headpiece. "Copy that Sir."

"What is it Williams?" Derek inquired.

"Connor's coming out the front door, my team is to stay with you guys and the leader of the gang has escaped." Blair replied bluntly.

"What do you mean the leader escaped?" Derek was livid.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I'm just tellin' you what he said." Blair answered back with a hint of irritation in her voice.

It was at that moment John burst out the front door of the house, all eyes fell on him as he advanced toward Blair and the others. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his eyes had a hardened seething look about them, even the scars on his face seemed to stand out when he got angry.

"Everybody listen up, we have a serious problem here. Hawkins is dead, the leader of the gangsters has escaped and I am pretty sure he is off to the main camp to sound the alarm." John spoke loud enough so that he had everyone's attention.

"The leader killed Hawkins? But I thought you had shot him." Blair was shocked at what she heard.

"I shot him in the shoulder and Amanda here booted him in the balls. Hawkins must have been goofing off and the leader took it as an opportunity to escape, he slashed Hawkins throat."

Allison and Amanda gasped at the news, both of them rekindling their fears of what may happen. Others mumbled amongst themselves, an air of uneasiness had taken over the freed captives.

Derek was furious, his fists were clenched so tight the knuckles were turning white. "Just what the hell are we going to do now?"

"First, we get these people to the safety of the trucks. I'll need two volunteers to take this group to the trucks." John looked around at the crown around him.

Porter and another man stepped up. "We'll take the group back. I'll be able to check them over and make sure they are all okay for the trip back."

"Good idea Porter." John slapped Porter on the shoulder, then looked over to the group of captives.

"You people need to go with these two men. They will take you to a safer spot by where our vehicles are parked. After we rescue the rest, we all will be headed back to Crystal Peak. Once we reach Crystal Peak, you will need to decide if you want to remain with us, or leave, but I will fill you in on the details once we get there."

The crowd remained quiet, older women nodded their heads in understanding, while the children just stood by not knowing what was going to happen. John tried to smile reassuringly at them, but he knew he had his work cut out if he wanted to get everyone back to the relative safety of Crystal Peak.

Allison spoke up. "Mandy and I are going with you guys." She had a determined look on her face.

"Excuse me?" John looked down at the young girl. He was a bit peeved over her wanting to come along, he didn't need the two girls slowing them down.

"Mandy and I can fight, we can shoot guns. We want to help." Allison looked straight into John's eyes. She did her best to stand straight, square up her shoulders and look brave, despite wearing a jacket way too large.

Amanda stood right beside Allison, mimicking Allison's stance.

John looked over to Blair for help.

"Don't look at me Connor, we need all the help we can get." Blair calmly spoke out to him and shrugged her shoulders.

John knew she was right and so nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, you two, can come with us, but first go with Williams to get some fresh clothes and weapons." John looked down at Amanda and Allison. "Oh, and Allison?"

"Yes sir Connor." Allison cheerfully met John's gaze.

"I'll need my jacket back, when you return." John winked at Allison and grinned.

"I'll think about it sir, I've grown quite attached to it." Allison gave John a sassy look and twisted her mouth into a crooked grin.

"Get going ladies, time is wasting. Meet us back here in five minutes." John pointed off in the direction of the hidden vehicles.

Blair and the rest gathered up the group and quickly moved out towards the trucks.

John, Derek and the rest of the rescue group remained at the house.

...

Walking back towards the vehicles hidden away, Allison and Amanda quickened their pace and caught up to Blair in the lead.

"Hey Blair?" Allison called out to Blair as both she and Amanda ran up behind Blair.

Blair turned her head around but didn't stop. "What is it girls?"

"Are we close to the vehicles?" Allison inquired.

"Just down this way and around the bend." Blair pointed ahead.

"Blair?"

"Yes Allison?"

"What happened to John's face?"

"You mean the scaring around his left eye?" Blair looked down at Allison's questioning face.

Allison looked up to Blair. "Yes"

Blair thought for a second as she plodded along the path. "He had a run in with an 800 series, it almost killed him. He was inside Skynet central trying to save the people trapped there." Blair explained.

Allison and Amanda's eyes widened with awe.

"He's a very brave man." Amanda commented.

Allison nodded her head in agreement.

"Connor wants to stop Skynet once and for all. He wants to see mankind brought back from the brink of extinction and rebuild humanity. It's just hard to do when you have gangs of marauders killing people and the resistance suffered a huge loss when Skynet central was destroyed."

"Really? What happened?" Allison was all ears, taking in all what Blair had to say.

Blair sighed and continued talking. "We thought we had a way to finally shut down Skynet, a signal that if broadcast would shut down Skynet's machines, kinda like an off switch. It was a trick cooked up by Skynet and the signal we broadcast was like a homing device, leading Skynet right to the Resistance leaders and enabling Skynet to destroy the top brass in the resistance."

"But John is a leader, why wasn't he killed along with the top brass?" Amanda questioned.

"John is not the type to sit back and give orders, he fights with his troops. He was a thorn in the leadership's side and was passionate about saving people. The leadership was not always on the same side as John and it lead to some heated arguments. If John had not disobeyed direct orders from the leadership, we probably would have all died." Blair proudly replied.

"Oh my God. So what happened to the resistance then?" Allison asked wide eyed.

"It fragmented, fell apart. Only a few scattered groups still keep in touch and fight, but with Skynet in hiding now, most think we have won. John doesn't think so." Blair answered with as much honesty as she could. It wasn't in her to lie about what may still happen, besides, she believed in John.

Allison and Amanda pondered what Blair had just said and remained quiet for the rest of the trip to the hidden trucks.

Upon arrival at the site, Blair walked up to John's Hummer and removed her back pack from the vehicle. She rummaged through for a couple of shirts the girls could wear, since Allison's was missing and Amanda's had been torn up to the point of basically being useless.

Both shirts were a similar olive drab color and were a t-shirt style, a little big but more suitable for two young girls to wear.

Allison and Amanda quickly changed in the Hummer and were ready in under a minute.

Blair had found the girls a couple of rifles and handguns to use, well worn but still able to do the job.

Allison, Amanda, Blair and a few others made their way back to the house, the rest of the refugees remained behind with a few resistance soldiers, including Porter. He had organized a line up of the new arrivals so he could give them a quick check over to make sure they could make the long trek back home.

...

John had been busy getting updates from the other teams stationed around the main raider camp. The gang leader had not come in contact with the main camp yet, John was hopeful the man had collapsed from loss of blood and was unable to alarm the rest of his gang.

Derek sat down on a clear patch of overgrown grass and begun to go through his pre-battle check, he wanted to make sure he had everything in order.

Derek had checked and re-checked his weapons, making sure nothing was going to jam and that he had enough ammunition. Fiddling with the weapons helped him deal with the stress of waiting for the attack and kept his mind off of worrying about what may happen.

"Reese, if you keep doin' that you'll wear out the rifle before you get to use it." John gave Derek a crooked grin. He had noticed Derek kept checking his weapons and figured it was bad nerves.

Derek looked up and lifted an eyebrow. "Just double checkin' sir. I wouldn't want to get caught out there with a jammed gun or no bullets."

"Well I just got off the radio with Williams, she and the rest of the available fighters are on their way back to us." John sat down beside Derek as he spoke.

Derek finished checking his rifle and placed it beside himself, he muddled over some thoughts before looking over to John. "Williams is tough as nails when it comes to fighting."

John had picked up a piece of grass and was twiddling it between his fingers as he looked off into the distant darkness "Yeah, she is tough, but she has a kind heart. Williams has been through a lot of crap and like most of us, she has suffered loss too."

"So what's the big idea of her and Webster makin' a bet about me?" Derek looked to John.

John broke into a big smile and shook his head. "Ahhhh….Webster had seen Williams was feeling a bit down when we were headed for Hammerhead, so she decided to cheer Williams up by bugging her about snagging a boyfriend. So they made a friendly bet over who would get a boyfriend first.

Unfortunately for you, well, you were their first victim."

"Not Kyle?"

"God no, Melissa would eat him alive." John chuckled.

Derek nodded his head and smirked. "Yeah, Kyle would be in over his head."

"Webster is a good person too, but she tends to move around a lot, if you know what I mean." John winked at Derek.

"Ohhhh….she likes to stay single then." Derek had just realized something and looked seriously into John's face. "She did this to get Blair to maybe move on?"

John locked his eyes with Derek's. "I think she feels she needs to help Williams move on, she doesn't like to see Williams depressed. They are good friends and Webster wants Williams to be happy." John paused for a second, his face seemed to harden before he spoke again. "I've seen too many people lose it and end up eating the barrel of a gun or go off and find some other way to end it all. I wouldn't want to see Williams wind up that way and neither does Webster."

"I agree with you Connor, I like Williams and I don't want to see her suffer." Derek thought for a moment and smiled. "I'll go along with their little game."

John slapped Derek on the shoulder. "That's the spirit Reese, somebody has to do it and it may as well be you."

Both men sat back and had a good laugh. For a moment the two men forgot about where they were, things actually felt normal to them.

John sat up and tapped his head phone. "Copy that Blue team."

"What's up?" Derek asked.

"Williams and the others are almost here. We need to get everyone ready." John replied.

John stood up, called out to the others and rounded up the squad to leave the house.

Seconds later Blair and her group arrived, with Blair in the lead.

Derek looked over, taking in the sight.

Thoughts of Zena Warrior Princess came to mind, as Derek admired Blair's form.

Allison and Amanda followed closely behind, looking more like waifs or hobbits than warriors, especially since Allison was still wearing John's jacket.

"Ladies, so nice of you to join us." John greeted the three with a smirk. "Miss Young, will you be so kind as to return my jacket please." He extended his hand out to grasp the garment.

"Well I had grown attached to it, but it is a little large for me." Allison looked down at her side, the sleeves of the jacket going past the tips of her fingers. She slipped off John's jacket and gently passed it over to him. "Thank you for lending me the jacket John Connor." Allison gave John a huge smile, but quickly looked down once she met his eyes. She was glad it was dark as she was sure her face had flushed when she looked at John.

Derek had been watching the interaction with interest and took a moment to lean into John to whisper into his ear. "Connor, I think you have a new admirer."

John cracked a smile and whispered back. "Yeah, I kinda figured that out for myself… She's a good kid Reese."

Blair cleared her throat and spoke up. "Connor, we ready to go?"

"Yeah Williams, all we had to do was wait for you guys." John replied.

John clicked on the receiver and informed the other teams they were on the move.

Then he turned to the small group gathered and gave them some final orders. "People, listen up. The leader hasn't showed him self, so either he is dead or he passed out from blood loss. We will be headed in the direction he most likely would have gone in, I need you guys to keep your eyes peeled for him and use deadly force if necessary. Our group will join up with the other half of the squad and then we will move in to free the rest of the captives. Double check your weapons and ammunition, we leave in thirty seconds."

The group nodded in understanding and people went about checking their weapons before leaving.

John gave the order for everyone to move out, he also indicated talking was forbidden and to follow his lead. This was for the benefit of Allison and Amanda, as they were still a bit green when it came to going out on anything related to a mission.

Quietly the group made its way east towards the tree line, just before the open area of the mall parking lot. The lot was mostly covered with grass and shrubs, trees had not gained a foothold yet, making it still a tricky area to cross without being spotted.

At the tree line, John signaled the group to stop and crouch down. He peered through his rifle scope at the former shopping mall now turned into an internment camp for the women and children, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

It was as if the gangsters were totally oblivious to what was going on around them.

"Green team report." John whispered.

"All quiet here sir." Melissa replied in a hushed voice.

John did the same with Red and Black team and they both reported the same as Melissa's team did. All was quiet, a bit too quiet for John's liking.

Derek shifted closer to John to ask him what was happening. "So what's the plan Connor?"

"Melissa and the others are all set to take out the hostiles posted on guard duty. When they are neutralized, we move in towards the main holding cell where Allison and Amanda were taken from. Any hostiles shoot at us, we shoot back. Once we have the captives freed from the holding cell, we get to the gangsters trucks, taking any of them that are useful and blow up the rest of them."

"Simple, but a good plan." Derek remarked quietly.

"Make sure you let the two munchkins there know what's going to happen and keep an eye on them Reese." John tilted his head towards Allison and Amanda just behind him.

Derek nodded and slipped back towards the two girls. He leaned in and explained what was going to happen and what they were to do.

The girls nodded in understanding, stayed low and kept out-of-the-way.

Blair had set up her rifle and had targeted two men on guard at the gate to Club V.

"Blue team has two targets locked on at the main gate south west." Blair breathed into her com.

"Copy that. Green team is locked on three targets by the vehicle storage area." Melissa replied.

Red and black teams responded in a similar manner, picking out hostiles perched up on top of the mall to do away with.

At John's signal, all teams began picking off the hostiles one by one.

As soon as he received the message from his teams that the hostiles were down, John gave the order to his squad to move in.

Everyone moved at once, the squad was spread out along the tree line, but made its way towards the camp in one grand sweeping motion.

The camp itself was a sea of chaos, gangsters were running about not knowing what had happened or where the enemy was, thanks to the snipers hitting the raiders from multiple angles.

John's squad had no problem dealing with the hostiles as his group made its way closer to the camp. John gave the order for weapons free to his squad and the other teams, anyone in the camp that had a gun, was to be a target. Automatic weapons fire was heard from all angles, as well as shouts and screams from the hostiles.

...

Allison and Amanda stayed further back from the firefight, crouched down in the tall grass along with Blair. Derek had told the girls that they were to stay with Blair, listen to her orders and stay out of trouble.

Both girls were a bit peeved at being told to stay back, they wanted to help out too and felt they were being treated like kids.

"Blair? Why can't we just go with the main squad and help?" Allison whispered.

Blair shot Allison a serious look. "Allison…this squad has been together for a long time, they know each other. You two coming along could mix things up and throw off the squads' ability to neutralize the enemy… besides I have this big lumbering sniper rifle and need you guys to help protect me."

It was at that second that all hell broke loose around Blair and the girls.

Shots rang out from a pistol behind the three girls, Blair yelped and fell to the ground clutching her shoulder. Allison and Amanda turned to face their attacker, but were caught off guard when the lumbering figure burst through the grasses and brush.

Blain rushed in and quickly knocked Amanda to the ground with the butt end of his pistol.

Allison tried to bring her weapon up to fire, but had it knocked out of her hand faster than she could aim.

"Little bitch…thought you could get away from me and fuck things up." Blain spat out. His shirt soaked from him bleeding, his breath ragged as he spoke.

Allison looked up at her attacker, color drained from her face. "You…You're alive"

Blain staggered a bit, the blood loss taking its toll on his body, but he held his gun steady. "You're gonna pay for getting' me shot half pint." Blain wheezed.

He held the gun up to Allison's chest and was about to squeeze the trigger, when a dark blur rushed into Blain's side and knocked him off of his feet.

Blain grunted and dropped his gun as he was slammed to the ground by Blair's momentum.

Allison saw the moment, she grabbed the nearest weapon and stood up, aimed it at Blain and squeezed the trigger. Automatic fire burst out of the barrel as Allison screamed.

"Just die you fucker."

Blain's body jerked and twitched as the bullets hit their mark, blood spattered up and out from his large grotesque body, a look of shock and surprise in his eyes as he looked into Allison's brown orbs glazed over with hatred.

Blair had rolled over just in time to skirt the gunfire from Allison's weapon. She looked over in shock at the body riddled with bullets and then up to the half crazed girl clutching the still smoking gun.

Blair called out Allison's name, but got no response. She grimaced and placed her hand on her wound as she got up and staggered over to the young girl.

"Allison." Blair yelled.

Allison looked over to Blair, tears were trickling down her face and her body was heaving from her outburst.

Blair moved closer to Allison and talked to her softly. "Allison…it's over now…he's dead."

"Hhh…he was the one….Blair…he was the one that tried to rape me…. and now he was just going to kill me." Allison was sobbing, she dropped the gun and started to sink to the ground.

Blair sat beside Allison and wrapped her good arm around the girls shoulder, soft soothing whispers came from Blair's lips as she slid her arm along Allison's petite form. Allison leaned in towards Blair her shoulders shaking as she wept.

Amanda was just coming around from being knocked out and looked over to see Blain's bloodied mass lying still in the grass. She turned away in disgust, but was happy the bastard got what he deserved.

Looking towards Allison and Blair, Amanda noticed the Blair looked pretty banged up.

"Hey guys…is he dead for sure?" Amanda asked. Her eyes still a bit glassy from getting pistol whipped by Blain.

"YESSSS" Both Allison and Blair answered in stereo.

Amanda noticed Blair was in pain. "Blair…you got hit?"

"Yeah…but the bullet went through. My headphones fell off when I knocked the asshole down, get onto them and call for help Mandy." Blair winced in pain as she took her good arm off Allison's shoulder and put pressure on her wound.

"Here…let me help you with that." Allison looked over and leaned in to check out Blair's wound.

"My …packsack…there's a small med kit." Blair voice was getting weaker from her blood loss and she was ready to pass out.

"Hold on Blair… Mandy and I will help fix you up." Allison was still upset, but was now focused on helping Blair. She grabbed the bag and fished through the items to find the med kit.

Amanda grabbed the headphones and called into the microphone for help. "Anyone…Blair has been hit…we need a medic ASAP." Her voice was breaking as she spoke into the mike, the full weight of what had happened sinking in.

"Mandy…I need you to help me with Blair." Allison called out as she pulled various items out of the back pack.

Amanda stopped for a second, then she smiled and looked over to Allison. "John says he's sending someone back to help."

...

John and the others had taken the encampment over, virtually all hostiles had either been killed or wounded.

Derek had more than proved himself in holding his own against the gangsters, he showed a great willingness to fight along side John. That was something John found inspiring, especially since he now knew Derek was his uncle.

John smiled to himself as he saw Derek rush in to help remove the captives from their makeshift jail cell.

A desperate sounding voice came over the earpiece in John's ear.

"_Anyone…Blair has been hit…we need a medic ASAP."_

By the sound of the voice John figured it was either Allison or Amanda.

John's heart skipped a beat, after all this, to lose Blair to a stray bullet would be devastating. She was a good soldier, but she was also one of his oldest friends. Next to his wife Kate, Blair was his closest friend.

"Stay with Blair and try to stop the bleeding, help is on the way." John replied, his voice starting to crack from the stress.

At that moment, Derek came up to John, he could tell John was worried about something.

"What is it Connor?" Derek asked.

"Blair got shot." John replied, his face showing signs of distress.

"I can go back Connor…I can help her out." Derek looked to John as he spoke, his eyes too were failing to hide the worry.

"Go then….Quickly." John barked out.

Derek nodded and took off running back to where he last saw Blair and the girls.

John watched Derek race back towards the grassy field, then he turned to the camp and began to call out to his squad to get the captives rounded up and over to the trucks near by.

John then switched on his mike and continued with more orders to the teams still out in their positions to come in and prepare to leave. He wanted to make sure to get everyone out of the camp before any more raiders, or others came by to investigate what had just happened.

Tired, dirty and dressed in rags, the women and children from the jail still managed to smile and say their thanks to him, as they made their way towards the vehicles.

John smiled back, a small measure of relief that he had managed to save people from being used as slaves, but he knew they were still not safe, not until they got back to Crystal Peak.

"Peterson?" John called out to one of his troops.

"Yes Connor sir." A young man in his mid twenties answered.

"Make sure the trucks have enough fuel to get us out of here and back to Crystal Peak….ohh and if there are any useful items we can take right away, by all means get them on the trucks too." John nodded his head towards the trucks, thought for a moment and then added. "Peterson, anything that can be used against us, or to go after us with, I want it destroyed."

"Understood sir." Peterson nodded and rushed off towards the raider vehicles.

John sighed and began to walk towards the trucks.

They would take what they needed in order to get back to Crystal Peak, along with anything else useful to the resistance and then destroy this camp. _Maybe blowing this place up will send a message to any others not to prey upon the weak and innocent._

It frustrated John to no end, that he had to fight other humans, instead of the real threat to humanity.

Skynet

...

Derek came running up to the girls.

Allison was hunched over Blair, desperately trying to apply pressure to the wound.

She looked up at Derek with relief as he tore off his backpack and knelt down to help out.

"Derek….the bullet…it went through her shoulder." Allison was nervous, but still managed to keep her wits about her.

Amanda was busy trying to hold the small flashlight up and over the wounded area on Blair's shoulder.

Blair was looking very pale, but was still able to talk coherently.

"Allie….let me look at the wound." Derek face was strained with concern as he bent over Blair.

Blair coughed a bit, and struggled with her pain. She looked up and managed to crack a small smile as she looked at Derek.

"So you wait until I hurt, before you try looking under my shirt…hey Reese."

"Never mind trying to sweet talk me Williams, I'm here to patch you up, not feel you up." Derek smirked, but his eyes were filled with concern.

Deftly, Derek started to work on patching Blair's wound and he soon had her ready to be moved.

Allison and Amanda had sat back, but paid close attention to what Derek was doing. He had always told them to make sure they watched and learned, just in case they might have to do the same thing some day.

"Is she going to be okay now Derek?" Allison asked.

"She'll be fine, as long as she takes it easy and rests." Derek smiled at Allison, then he stuck a needle into Blair's arm to help with infection and pain.

"Blair, this should help with the pain." Derek leaned in close to her and brushed his hand across her forehead.

Blair relaxed and smiled at Derek. "So now you're shooting me up with drugs….hey Reese." Blair looked over to Allison. "Allie… you and Mandy make sure he doesn't try anything while I'm drugged up."

Allison and Amanda both giggled and looked over to Derek.

"Oh don't worry Blair….we'll keep him in line. If he tries something, Allie and I will kick his butt." Amanda smiled at Blair and then looked over to Derek, giving him a menacing glance. Then the girls burst out laughing, unable to keep their serious look.

Derek just shook his head and smiled. _Women can be such a pain sometimes._

"Okay ladies, lets get going. I'll carry Blair to the trucks and you two make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any hostiles." Derek leaned in to put his arms under Blair's slumped body and lifted her with a grunt.

Allison and Amanda picked up the back packs and weapons and split up to take point and rear of Derek and Blair.

Amanda switched on the mike and informed John that they were on their way and that Blair was stable.

A few minutes later, the four of them arrived at the camp, near to the vehicles. Blair was promptly loaded up into one of the trucks, along with Allison, Amanda and Derek climbing in to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.

Melissa stopped by to check on Blair and was relieved that she was stable and would most likely make a full recovery.

John had everyone organized and loaded up onto the trucks within minutes, anything else not required was wired up to be blown up.

John gave the signal to move out and all the vehicles fired up to leave. The small convoy of eight trucks snaked its way out of the camp and towards the other vehicles hidden to the west of the camp. Once they were far enough away, John triggered the remote and the camp behind them began to rumble form various explosions.

Plumes of smoke and balls of flames shot up into the air as fuel, ammunition and vehicles were destroyed. The sky lit up from the fireworks given off by the ammunition. Popping and crackling from stray bullets and shells filled the air

The convoy made its way west and soon met up with the military vehicles hidden away.

Vehicles were re-organized to make sure the military trucks were staggered in with the regular trucks. Protection of everyone was top priority, especially when they now had a larger group to worry about.

John would only breathe a sigh of relief when he and the rest of them were safely back at Crystal Peak. They may have crushed the raiders, but there was much more to worry about, they had more than a full days ride to get back to safety and anything could happen along the way.

It was now that John worried the most, for they now had much more at stake to lose. Not only his troops, but women and children too were depending on him to get them back to the safety of Crystal Peak.

John stared off into the darkness as he mulled over what he was up against. His truck bounced and rocked as it made its way back along the route they took to get to the camp.

The quicker they got away from the camp the better chance they had to make it to Hammerhead without incident. From Hammerhead they could re-group and decide what and who to take along and what to leave behind.

Melissa was sitting beside John, taking over Blair's spot as shotgun. Kyle was in the back seat, stretched out and sleeping, again. Melissa had looked back to Kyle and shook her head, then she looked over and noticed John was engrossed deeply in thought.

"Hey Connor….what's up?" Melissa questioned, her brow furrowing as she tried to get John to speak up.

"Just worried about getting us back to Hammerhead safely Webster." John answered curtly.

"I think we got away without a hitch Connor…we had the element of surprise." Melissa quipped. She put her foot up on the dash and leaned back to get a bit more comfortable, but still had her rifle nestled in her lap.

"We'll have to wait and see. I won't be happy until we are back home." John looked over to Melissa, his face looking tired and drawn.

"Yeah Connor….I'm lookin' forward to getting a nice hot shower at the base….make myself look good for Derek." Melissa smirked.

John smiled and shook his head. "Well seems your competition is out of the running, but Derek is playing nurse to her. So you might not have the upper hand Webster." He quickly looked over to Melissa and winked.

"Ahhhh…..maybe so, but I'm not out of commission." Melissa looked back at John, an impish grin on her lips and a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm glad you took shotgun Webster….you always make the ride that much more interesting." John chuckled and seemed to sit back a bit and relax.

Melissa looked away and smiled, she was happy she got Connor to lighten up a bit.

She didn't like it when he took things too seriously, the stress was bad enough without the extra worry of the new refugees on his shoulders. Melissa had seen too many of her friends lose it and snap, some of them just giving up and others running off never to be seen again. If she could help just a little, she felt like she made life a bit easier for him.

The two of them spent the rest of the ride to Hammerhead engaged in witty small talk, while Kyle remained in the back seat snoring, happily oblivious to what was being talked about.

Derek and the girls remained with Blair and took turns watching over her, making sure she stayed comfortable and out of danger.

The ride back to Hammerhead would turn out to be pleasantly uneventful.

**Authors note-**

A big thanks goes out to my Beta reader The1Russter !

This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, but it sort of ties things up at the "bad guys" camp.

I hope you guys enjoyed it...please leave a review !

Thanks !

Moe


	11. Chapter 1o:The Journey Home

**Chapter 10: The Journey Home**

**Hammerhead Bunker**

It was morning and the sun was just coming up over the mountains, slowly the countryside was being bathed in a grayish light of daytime.

John was dead tired, he had been driving all night without a break. Melissa had kept him company for a while, but even she succumbed to fatigue and drifted off to sleep.

Kyle never woke up during the ride back to Hammerhead, he was content on catching as much sleep as possible, and despite the rough roads, he never opened his eyes once.

The familiar area of Hammerhead was just coming into sight, John slowed down the Hummer and picked up the mic to let the convoy know they were now at Hammerhead.

"Everybody look sharp…keep your eyes and ears open for any trouble. We are at Hammerhead now and need to unload as soon as possible." John barked out.

Melissa woke up, stretched and quickly began to look around for any trouble. Even Kyle managed to awaken from his deep slumber as he sensed the truck had begun to slow to a stop.

"Are we here?" Kyle asked sleepily as he wiped sleep from his eyes.

"If you mean Hammerhead, then yes." Melissa replied as she scoped out the surroundings.

John brought the truck to a stop and shut down the motor. Everyone got out of the truck at once and proceeded to make their way towards the main entrance to the bunker.

As the other vehicles rolled to a stop and people began to clamber out of the trucks, there seemed to be an air of elation in a successful rescue and extraction of the captives.

Both the former captives and their rescuers had smiles and were busy talking amongst each other.

Allison and Amanda had jumped out of the truck they had traveled in with Derek and the injured Blair. They were tired and hungry, but very happy to be far away from the hell they had been through.

"Allie?...I'm starved…do you have anything in the back pack?" Amanda asked as she stretched out her cramped muscles. Many hours of driving over rough roads in a rickety old truck didn't help.

Allison yawned and twisted her slim body around. Distinctive pops and cracks could be heard from her spine as she stretched her sore muscles.

She looked over to Amanda. "There's really nuthin' in the back pack, besides medical stuff. I think we are getting something to eat here." Allison pointed towards the entrance to the bunker.

"Maybe Derek needs us to help with Blair first." Amanda replied.

Allison pulled aside the canvas flap and peered into the truck. "Derek?...Will you need us to help out?"

"No…but I need you to find a couple of troops to help with her being carried in. Will you get someone for me?" Derek responded, his eyes had dark circles under them and even his voice sounded tired.

"Okay Derek." Allison chirped. "I'll be right back with someone."

Allison closed the flap and looked around for anyone to help Derek. Amanda also looked about, after hearing what Derek had said.

"See anyone?" Allison asked as she looked about.

Amanda pointed to two men by a truck a short distance away. "What about them?"

Allison looked over and nodded to Amanda. "Let's go ask."

The two girls sprinted over to the two soldiers leaning up against the Stryker.

"Excuse us." Amanda sweetly interrupted the men's conversation.

An older man in his thirties looked over to the girls and smiled. "What can we do for you girls?"

"Derek needs help with moving Blair, she was injured." Allison explains. " He wanted us to find a couple of strong guys to help him."

Both men stand up straight.

"Blair Williams?" The older man asks.

"Yes" Allison and Amanda reply.

"Well lets go then…Take us to her." The man elbows his partner who quickly nods in agreement.

The four of them make their way back to Blair and Derek, with Allison leading the way.

Upon arriving at the truck with Blair inside, Allison flips open the flap and sticks her head inside.

"We found a couple of guys Derek."

Derek looks over to Allison and smiles. "Well that didn't take you long."

Allison boosts herself up and climbs in, followed shortly after by Amanda. The two soldiers remained outside, leaning against the truck and making small talk while they waited.

Blair is awake now, but still very tired and in a bit of pain as Derek checks her bandages.

"Is there something we can do?" Amanda speaks up.

"Yes…you two go get something to eat, you must be starving." Derek replies as his head is bent over his patient.

"But don't you need help with Blair?" Allison blurts out.

"I'll be fine. The two guys you brought will help me move her." Derek snapped.

"Gee…you don't need to be so cranky. Can we say good bye?" Allison gives Derek her sweetest look.

Derek glances over, his face softens and he moves off to the side so the girls can get closer to Blair.

"Hey" Blair squeaks out.

"Hey Back" Allison smirks and brings her hand up to brush a stray strand of hair from Blair's face.

"You two, go do what Derek said…go…get something to eat." Blair whispers.

"Will you be okay?" Amanda's face is filled with worry.

"As long as Derek doesn't try something…I'll be fine." Blair looks over to Derek and gives him a crooked grin.

Derek shakes his head. "Okay…visit is over now. Ladies go get some food and we will be in shortly."

"Okay Mr. Cranky…Gee you're so crabby sometimes." Allison shoots Derek a 'look' and then slowly backs away from Blair. "We'll see you later Blair…okay?"

"Okay…bye." Blair yawns and gives the girls a weak smile.

The girls exit the vehicle and make their way around to the front of it. Amanda looks over to the entrance and noticed three figures standing by the lead vehicle.

"Hey isn't that John? and who is the cute guy with them?" She had a crooked grin on her lips.

Allison looked closer at the group of three. "What the hell?"

"What is it Allie?"

Allison took off running towards John, Blair and Kyle, Amanda quickly followed.

"KYLE" Allison yelled out as she got closer to the Hummer.

Kyle turned around and stared, his face instantly recognized the slender form running towards him at full speed. Her hair was shorter than the last time he had seen her, but her face still looked the same and she hadn't grown much either.

A big smile came across Kyle's face as Allison drew closer to him.

"ALLIE" Kyle yelled back and threw his arms wide to get ready to embrace her.

Allison ran up and nearly knocked Kyle over with her momentum. She pulled him into a deep hug and nearly choked him with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Kyle…I'm so happy you are alive." Allison sobbed and kissed his cheek.

Kyle was at a loss for words and his eyes were moist with happiness. All he could do was hold Allison tight and nod his head in agreement.

Allison finally let go of Kyle and stood back, her face filled with elation over finally seeing Kyle again. Then her features went serious, she wound up and slugged Kyle in the shoulder.

"OWW….what was that for?" Kyle winced and rubbed his shoulder.

"That's for not coming to see me right away, after I got rescued." Allison answered in a matter of fact manner. "Where were you?"

"I…I…was stationed in a different area when the fighting broke out. Sorry Allie." Kyle's face fell.

Allison gave him her biggest smile. "Well you're forgiven for now, but don't you try that again." She wagged her finger at him in a menacing way.

Melissa and John stood back and smiled at the reunion between the two.

Amanda caught up, her breathing a bit labored from trying to catch up to Allison.

"Whew…Allie….you're too fast." Amanda gasped.

Allison turned to Amanda. "Mandy…this is Kyle, my other adopted brother. Kyle…this is my best friend Amanda."

"Nice to meet you Amanda." Kyle spoke shyly and started to turn pink in the cheeks.

"Hi Kyle…you can call me Mandy." Amanda replied and shot out her hand.

Kyle took her hand and shook it, but still failed to make eye contact.

John cleared his throat and spoke up. "Okay…lets move along inside, you guys can catch up over some food and drink."

"Yeah...all that rescuing has made my stomach growl." Kyle added.

"Oh pleeeeze…you had snacks in the truck and then slept almost all of the way back." Melissa shook her head as she chastised Kyle.

"That totally sounds like Kyle…seems you haven't changed a bit, have you." Allison stated as she glanced over at Kyle.

"Well," Melissa stood with her arms crossed, her eyes burning into Kyle's skull. "Aren't you gonna introduce me to the girls?"

"Well actually we did sorta meet before, when you stopped by to check on Blair." Allison spoke up.

"Yeah, but I never knew you were the girl that Derek was looking for, he never mentioned it when I stopped by." Melissa pauses for a second. "Seems to be a common trait with the Reese boys."

"Get used to it….both Kyle and Derek can be big block heads sometimes." Allison smiled at Melissa as she criticized her adopted brothers, then she put out her hand to shake Melissa's. "I'm Allison and this is my best friend Amanda."

Melissa grasped Allison's hand warmly and shook it, then she shook Amanda's hand. "My name is Melissa, but you can call me Mel."

"Nice to meet you Mel." Amanda smiled back as she shook Melissa's hand.

"Yeah…nice to meet you Mel." Allison added, then she looked to the entrance. "Shall we go grab something to eat?"

John had already given up and was six paces ahead of the group, on his way to the entrance.

Sikes was just outside the doorway, he had already been alerted by the sentries of the convoy's arrival, he had posted extra men outside of the bunker just in case of a problem.

"Connor…glad to see you are back in one piece. Did everything go okay?" Sikes called out to John as he waved him inside.

"Sikes, it's good to be back. We were out gunned, but we had the element of surprise. Thankfully, only one death and a couple of casualties…Williams being in the worst shape." John replied and he came up to Sikes and shook his hand.

"Is Williams okay? She such a nice girl and a good fighter." Sikes looked worried as he asked.

"A bullet passed through her shoulder, but she got patched up right away and should recover just fine." John gave Sikes a re-assuring smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well you look tired and hungry Connor…c'mon inside for some grub and drinks." Sikes smacked John on the back and ushered him inside the bunker.

Kyle, Allison and the others near by followed John inside.

...

Derek had been busy making sure Blair was comfortable and had remained by her side the whole trip back to Hammerhead, he never slept a wink. Now he wanted to ensure she would be taken care of properly at the bunker, he would remain by her side until she was seen by a proper medic.

The pair of troops that Allison had found, stood by the back of the truck to help him with unloading Blair on a stretcher.

Blair was still groggy, but lucid enough to complain to Derek about being treated like a cripple.

"Put a sock in it Williams….you're still wounded and need the rest." Derek snapped.

"Reese….REESE…." Blair's eyes locked on to Derek.

"What now?" Derek was getting agitated with his patient.

"I can walk ya know…let me walk." Blair demanded.

"Ohhh no way Williams…Dr Reese orders you to stay put and let us carry you in. Besides you will need to probably stay here at the bunker until…."

"Hold on there Doc. I'm not staying here…no way…I wanna go home, to Crystal Peak."

Blair was livid with anger, if she had felt better she would have smacked Derek right there. "Besides you're not a real Doc anyways and I feel much better."

"How bout we pin you down and I give you another shot to put you to sleep" Derek threatened.

"Yeah…how bout I kick yer ass if you try." Blair shot back.

The two troops that had stopped by to help, paused, looked at each other and took a few steps back as Derek and Blair bickered.

"Blair…you're…well…a huge pain in the ass when you're injured. Stop being so stubborn and listen to me." Derek was getting visibly frustrated.

Blair wasn't about to back down. "I can still walk…I've been shot before and this is only in the shoulder." She winced as she tried to sit up in her stretcher.

Derek saw her discomfort right away. "See….told you…you're in no shape to go running around. Sit back and we'll carry you inside." He tried to tell her in a calmer voice, but Blair chose to ignore Derek.

Blair's brown eyes flashed with fire as she defiantly sat up in the stretcher, placed her legs on the floor of the truck box and stood up. She wobbled around for a second, the drugs Derek gave her were still in her system and making her feel woozy.

Derek quickly got up from his kneeling position and grabbed her waist to steady her. Both of them locked eyes at the same time, their faces inches apart.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked Blair, his look of concern was unmistakable.

"I'm fine." Blair replied quietly as she leaned into him a little more. "Just a little dizzy from all the drugs you gave me."

"Well if you're determined to walk inside, at least let me help you…okay?"

"Okay Reese" Blair cracked a smile and then added. "Well…let's get going. I'm hungry and I have to go pee….unless you want me to piss my pants."

"Alright already….damn you are the worst patient ever Williams." Derek shook his head, jumped down from the truck and held his arms up to help Blair climb down.

"So you won't need our help then Reese?" One of the troops spoke up.

"Doesn't seem so…little miss pain in the ass thinks she can do it all by herself. You guys might as well head in for some food." Derek nodded to the two troops.

"Pain in the ass huh…just shut up and help me down Reese." Blair kept her face like stone, but her eyes couldn't hide their relief he was there to help.

The soldiers, seizing their moment, turned and quickly made their way towards the bunker.

Derek grabbed Blair's waist as she slowly made her way off of the truck. She wrapped her good arm around Derek's neck as he gently lowered her down to the ground.

Once safely on the ground neither one of them broke contact. Blair kept her arm wrapped around Derek's neck and Derek still had his arms on her midsection.

Blair suddenly pulled her arm from his neck and looked up at Derek with a crooked grin. "Are we gonna stay like this all day or do I get to go inside to freshen up?"

Derek sighed and reluctantly let go of Blair's waist. "I'll be right behind you Williams."

"I'm sure you will, but try to keep your eyes off my ass." Blair smiled to herself as she left a red faced Derek standing by the truck and ambled towards the bunker.

...

Twenty minutes later, most everyone from the vehicles were inside the bunker. John and Sikes were at one of the mess hall tables, huddled over some coffee and food, discussing what was going to happen with the refugees.

Allison and the rest sat at a table next to where John and Sikes were seated.

"So Conner, what happens with these refugees now?" Sikes inquired as he took a sip from his cup.

John finished swallowing his food and answered. "I think we call a meeting for all the newbies, tell them what is going on and give them a choice to either stay here or come with me to Crystal Peak."

"Things are pretty tight here Connor, Hammerhead runs like a well oiled machine. Hell, even that guy you brought back half dead is chipping in." Sikes leaned in closer to John. "We don't want or need any freeloaders Connor...that needs to be made crystal clear."

John locked his blue green eyes with Sikes and spoke with conviction. "I'm not here to dump a bunch of trouble on your lap Sikes…that's why I'll explain things to the whole group before we decide what will happen. After everyone eats and is well rested, I'll call the meeting."

"Yeah… some rest and food will help with keeping everyone sharp. Just as long as they know that they need to pull their own weight around here." Sikes grinned and went back to stuffing another piece of flatbread into his mouth.

John nodded and went back to finishing his meal.

….

Allison and the others had been seated for a few minutes, all of them enjoying a bowl of fresh mystery stew and some flatbread. Everyone was in a good mood and joking around, mostly at Kyle's expense.

The girls were having a great time banding together to torment Kyle.

It was a relief to Kyle when he looked up to see Blair walk into the mess hall, her arm in a sling and her face looking a bit pale, but she seemed in good spirits.

Close behind her was Derek, his brow furrowed as he kept a close eye on Blair.

Kyle waved to Blair to get her attention, all eyes at the table looked over to see what Kyle was waving at.

Blair smiled, nodded and slowly made her way towards the table.

"Hey guys…how's the food?" Blair cheerfully asked as she looked around the table.

"The food is wonderful Blair…Mel even managed to get us some strawberries." Amanda beamed.

"Ohhhh…they were like heaven Blair." Allison rolled her eyes back to put accent on the heaven part, then she smiled from ear to ear and eagerly asked. "You want us to try and get some for you?"

"That sounds wonderful ladies…yes I'll have some, if there's any left." Blair slowly sat down at the table.

Derek came up behind Blair and stood by like a body guard.

Blair shot him a puzzled look. "Reese…stop standing around like yer a stalker and sit down."

"Don't you want something to eat or drink?" Derek meekly asked.

"Well yes, but the girls have offered to help get me some food and drink." Blair looked over to Allison and Amanda and smiled sweetly.

Derek grumbled and sat down beside Blair.

"Are we getting you something too Derek?" Allison lifted her brow in question.

"Well now that you asked...sure… what ever they have...thanks." Derek winked at the two girls.

"I'll have some strawberries, since yer going to ask." Kyle added.

Both girls looked over to Kyle, they crossed their arms at the same time. Allison spoke first. "What's wrong with you going?"

"Well I thought since you two…"

"Hold on a minute….do we look like your servants?" Amanda cut in waving a finger in the air.

"Well….no…but…"

"No buts…you got two arms and two legs…use them." Allison gave Kyle a scolding look.

"Gee…you two don't need to be so nasty." Kyle gave them the hurt puppy look, but it didn't help.

Both girls burst out laughing and quickly made their way to the counter to grab food for Blair and Derek.

Melissa and Blair chuckled over Kyle's predicament.

Even John and Sikes had stopped eating to look over at the scene unfolding.

Derek just sat back and shook his head at his brother. "Man…you really gotta learn how to treat women right."

"Like you would know Reese?" Blair poked Derek in the ribs with her good arm.

"What's that supposed to mean Williams?" Derek rubbed his ribs and looked over to a smiling pair of brown eyes.

"Yeah….what's that supposed to mean Williams?" Melissa leaned in to listen closer.

Blair shot Melissa a quick smile and winked before speaking. "Well for one thing, he tried bossing me around. He wanted to have me carried in on a stretcher."

"Ohhh my" Melissa gasped.

"After he finally let me get up on my own, he manhandled me as I tried to climb off of the truck."

"Hold on there…I had to or else you would have fallen off." Derek vainly tried to defend himself.

"Then I had to practically beat him off with a stick so he would let go of me."

Melissa gasped again and put her hand to her mouth in a melodramatic way.

"When I turned to leave, I felt his eyes undressing me." Blair pretended to wipe away a tear.

"I was keeping an eye on you, just in case you fell or stumbled…Oh my God you twist things around." Derek had turned red, but it was unclear if it was from anger, frustration or embarrassment.

Kyle had leaned in to listen closer, he was enjoying the spotlight being turned on his brother instead of him.

Melissa and Blair looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Kyle was smiling too, until his brother shot him a look like he was about to beat on him.

Derek was about to get up and leave, when Blair placed her hand on his shoulder and grinned.

"Reese….you're so easy to tease. You're easier to tease than Kyle and he's a pushover."

"If you weren't injured, I'd put you over my knee and give you a good spanking." Derek shot back as he plunked himself back down.

"Promises…promises." Blair winked at Derek.

"You two girls are unbelievable…evil…wicked and who knows what else…there is no way I will allow you two troublemakers take care of Allie and Mandy." Derek said forcefully and with conviction.

"Oh Really Reese? Ask the girls when they get back." Blair's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I will"

Just then Allison and Amanda came back with some food and drink for the table, including strawberries.

"We managed to get some more strawberries for you Blair…The cook is a real sucker for a sweet smile." Allison smirked as she placed a plate of food and a cup of coffee in front of Blair.

Derek sighed and put his head into his hands.

"Derek? Are you okay?" Amanda asked.

Derek looked up and responded half heartedly. "Yeah just peachy."

"It seems Derek doesn't want you and Allison bunking with Mel and me." Blair tossed in her two cents and winked at Melissa.

Seeing a grand opportunity to torment Derek more, Melissa spoke up. "Yeah it is a shame they won't be coming with us."

"WHAT?" Both Allison and Amanda spoke up, their faces going white with the shock of the news.

"Ohh?...Didn't Derek tell you two?" Blair kept her face straight as she tried to let on that Derek was the one to blame.

"NO"

"NO"

Allison and Amanda were pissed.

"What the hell Derek…we want to go back to Crystal Peak with Blair and Mel." Allison stormed.

"Wait a minute...hold on... I didn't say it that way…I…."

"No use in lying to them Derek." Melissa cut in.

Derek looked over to his brother.

Kyle shrugged his shoulders and responded by saying. "Look Bro this is your battle. I'm not jumping into the pit of hell you've created. It's a no win situation."

"Thanks a lot…Bro." Derek glared at his brother.

Derek looked up to Allison and Amanda, both of them standing across from him with arms folded and nostrils flared.

Admitting defeat, Derek broke down and gave his blessings for the two girls to bunk with the two older women. "Alright already...you two munchkins can stay with the heartbreakers…but if things get nasty, I'm pullin' you two outa their clutches."

It was no use, the girls never heard his last warning. They jumped for joy, hugged and hi-fived each other.

"This is gonna be sweet, we get to bunk with girls." Amanda squealed to Allison.

"Ladies…It won't be all fun and games. We have plans to put you two into training for the resistance. Mel here has agreed to join up too, seeing as she is needed more in the resistance than policing the Crystal Peak civilians." Blair stared the girls down as she spoke.

"That's right girls… I'm joining up too." Melissa spoke up.

Kyle and Derek looked at each other, but Kyle spoke up first. "Looks like we're in for some big trouble bro."

"You can say that again." Derek sighed.

Over at the next table, Sikes leaned in towards John. "What's with Blair and Mel tormenting that Derek guy?"

John smiled. "Blair likes him…lots…and Mel is in the thick of things too."

"Well holy shit, I never thought Blair would ever soften up." Sikes replied.

"Chalk it up to Mel urging Blair to lighten up and have some fun for a change."

John looked over to the mayhem at the next table. _Damn it's nice to see happy faces in a crowd for once. _He thought to himself.

Kyle and Derek had shrunk themselves as low as they could in their chairs, while the girls celebrated by sharing out the last of the strawberries.

Allison paused for a second to look over at John, she had noticed he had been watching what was happening over at the table and smiling. Looking straight into his eyes, she gave him her biggest smile she could muster, but quickly averted her eyes once she knew he had seen her glancing. Her face turned a light pink as she secretly smiled to herself.

_John is so nice and his eyes are so beautiful. I'm so happy we are going with John to Crystal Peak._

Sikes noticed the look Allison gave John and commented. "Looks like you have a new admirer Connor…Is she Reese's sister?"

John looked over to Sikes and grinned. "Yeah sorta like an adopted sister, she is the one Reese was looking for, the one I helped rescue, a real sweet girl…a fighter with a big heart, so is her friend Mandy…I'm glad we got to them in time."

"Well if she turns out anything like Williams or Webster, we'll be in good shape." Sikes replied.

"Yeah…Blair and Mel will do a good job of training the girls. We need all the help we can get." John spoke but remained staring off into nothing.

"Many kids grow up too fast Connor, this is how life is now." Sikes stated.

"I plan to change that as soon as possible Sikes. I know Skynet is still out there, just waiting for the right time to attack and we need to be ready." John looked back at Sikes, his eyes hardened like emeralds once he spoke of Skynet.

"I know Connor…..I know…" Sikes nodded his head in agreement.

...

It was about an hour later when John called a general meeting for all the people that were rescued from the slave camp.

There were approximately fifty or so refugees that John and his troops had managed to bring back with them, including Allison and Amanda.

The mess hall was cleared of any regular troops so as to make room for all of the adult refugees to join in on the meeting. John, along with Sikes, stood up on a table in the far corner and began the meeting.

"Good afternoon everyone." John called out.

A sudden quiet came over the room, except for a couple of babies that were fidgeting and voicing their disapproval at being hushed, every one became silent.

John began to speak.

"I'm glad you were all able to fit into the room, welcome to Hammerhead Bunker. Standing beside me is Sikes, he is the leader of this bunker and my name is John Connor." John looked over to Sikes and motioned with his hand as he mentioned his name and then looked out to the crowd as he spoke his own name.

There were some gasps and minor bustle to the crowd, but otherwise the people in the room remained focused on John.

"I am not dead or captured as some of the stories go, I am here and I need your help. We need you to help us get ready to battle with Skynet and to help bring back order to splintered groups that make up the resistance. Skynet is not dead, it is in waiting. Waiting for the right moment to strike and I fear the moment will soon be upon us." John looked around and made eye contact with many in the room.

Some people were puzzled, and some had a look of dread on their faces.

"Don't worry, we are not making you do anything you don't want to do, we are giving you a choice. Join us in the fight to unite humanity. Join us in the fight against Skynet. We need your help desperately and in any way possible. Without you we cannot win the war, we cannot rebuild, we cannot continue moving forward."

The crowd was silent, even the babies sensed something and remained quiet.

"I'd like to let Sikes say a few words now." John looked over to Sikes and took a step down from the table.

"Like Connor said, we are giving you a choice today. We need help, not free loaders. I need help here, so any of you that want to remain here, you are welcome to stay. Others may want to go to Crystal Peak with John and his troops. Again, you are welcome to go along, provided you know that you need to be part of the team, part of the resistance. Still others may want to go off on their own. The door is open both ways."

"If you leave, you can always come back and if you stay you can always choose to leave if you want to. I will add that the resistance is most likely your best option, until the rogue gangs can be brought under control or eradicated. Thank you all for your time." Sikes stepped down and John got back up on the table to make a final statement.

"So that's it people, you have until tomorrow morning to decide if you want to come with me, stay here at Hammerhead, or take your chances on the outside. Thank you for your time."

John stepped down and the crowd slowly began to disperse into smaller groups to talk things out.

Allison, Amanda bounded up to where John was standing, with Melissa just behind them, walking at a more leisurely pace.

"I liked your speech John." Allison blurted out. Both girls had mischievous smiles on their faces.

"Thanks girls….I think." John gave them a funny look. "I thought you two were going with Derek anyways, why stay for the meeting?"

"Ohhh…. we just wanted to hear what was going on." Allison looked over to Amanda and gave her a funny grin.

Amanda leaned in to whisper something into Allison's ear while looking at John. Allison turned beet red and shushed Amanda.

John lifted his eyebrow in question. "Something you wanted to ask me ladies?"

Both girls looked at each other.

Melissa stood beside them and rolled her eyes. "Connor, this is your fan club." She replied nonchalantly and motioned with her hand towards the two teens.

"No Mel, we just liked his speech and wanted to say hi." Allison chirped.

"Yeah, Hi" Amanda made a little wave with her hand.

John looked over to Melissa for help, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, John started to turn to leave. "Ladies, I must get going. Sikes and I have some important things to discuss. I'll see you all later, at dinner maybe?"

"We'll save a seat for you John Connor." Allison's eyes sparkled as she spoke.

John gave the girls a crooked grin and walked off after Sikes.

Allison kept her eyes on him for a moment and let out a big sigh. She looked back at Amanda with a huge smile on her face.

"Oh My God, oh my God….he's gonna join us for dinner." Allison whispered, but she could barely contain her excitement. Amanda was beaming too.

"Ladies?" Melissa was confused over the girls' giddiness. She rolled her eyes.

_Was I like this at their age?_

"Ladies lets get going now, we need to organize some gear before we head back to Crystal Peak tomorrow." Melissa barked.

It was at that moment that Derek sauntered up to check out what all the fuss was about.

"What's going on girls?"

"Oh nuthin' Derek." Amanda answered politely.

Derek furrowed his brow. "Yeah….sure….whatever."

"Hey there Derek, no nurse duty right now?" Melissa asked as she flicked her hair back, flashed her baby blues and gave Derek a crooked grin.

Both teen girls watched and listened intently.

"Blair is resting in a cot. The food did her good, but she's wiped out from the loss or blood." Derek replied.

"So you got some free time then Derek?" Melissa walked over and ran her fingers along Derek's forearm.

"Ummm…well…uhhh…I guess so, why?" Derek nervously answered.

Melissa smiled sweetly at Derek and placed her hands on her waist. "We need help to organize the vehicles for supplies."

"Oh" Derek sounded disappointed. "Well I guess I could help with…"

"Good, then you can come with us right away." Melissa cut in.

Melissa made her way out of the mess hall, Allison and Amanda following close behind.

Derek was left standing all by his self, dumbstruck.

Amanda looked back at Derek and called out. "Hey there slow poke, you comin' or what?"

Derek waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there."

_How do I always get suckered by pretty girls into doing work? _Derek mused as he slowly turned to exit the room.

...

A few hours later, Derek and the girls had completed going through the trucks and compiling an inventory of items that were stored in the vehicles. A list was drawn up to be given to Connor and Sikes for them to decide on if any items or vehicles were to remain behind at Hammerhead.

During the afternoon, John had managed to drop by and visit with Martin Beddell to see how he was recovering. Upon hearing about the rescue, Martin looked visibly relieved and impressed over the success of the rescue.

"I'm glad you guys got to the women and children in time." Martin managed a small smile, he was still in pain and found it hard to stay lucid for the conversation.

"Well it was a struggle and we lost a couple of good people, but we did manage to save all of the women and children they had captured. Besides we made off with some extra vehicles and supplies." John replied.

"The vehicles and extra supplies will come in handy Connor. I think I'll stay here a while, until I am closer to a hundred percent." Martin shifted around to get more comfortable, but was still in a lot of pain.

"You look tired Martin, I'll let you rest. If I can make it, I'll drop by later before nightfall." John turned to leave.

"No need Connor, the medic here will shoot me up with some powerful stuff and I'll be out for the night." Martin gave John a crooked grin and weakly waved him off.

"Okay Bedell, But I should be around back in this area in a few weeks and hopefully you'll be feeling a bit better." John smiled and nodded.

"I plan to be Connor, thanks for stopping by." Martin replied.

John slipped out of the infirmary and made his way back to the mess hall. It was close to dinner time and his stomach was starting to grumble a bit.

Along his way down the narrow hallway, John ran into some familiar faces from the bunker, as well as some newer faces he remembered seeing from earlier in the day at the meeting. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, full of smiles and greetings.

As he came around a corner, John almost collided with two familiar teen girls, his 'fan club'.

"Oh…Hi John Connor. We were just heading towards dinner." Amanda greeted John with a warm smile.

Allison stood back a bit, seemingly at a loss for words, she never made eye contact, but she too was smiling.

"Hello ladies." John gave them a crooked grin and pointed the opposite way they were coming. "But the mess hall is in that direction."

Gasps and giggles came from the girls and then Allison spoke up. "Well we were hoping to run into you and escort you to dinner sir."

"Escort?" John lifted his brow in question.

"Yes sir, we just finished helping Derek and Melissa organize the vehicles for tomorrows trip to Crystal Peak. I think Derek has the paper work for you and Sikes to look over." Allison spoke like a true trooper.

John seemed visibly impressed.

"Good work ladies and thank you for the report. I don't know about you, but I'm starving, lets go to dinner." John headed off towards the mess hall, with the two girls following close behind.

Both girls were in seventh heaven as they strode behind the famous John Connor. They still managed to garner some odd looks from others in the narrow hallway. The sight of two small scraggly girls following behind the much larger and impressive looking leader of the resistance like they were his body guards caused more than a few double takes.

As they came into the mess hall, John spotted Blair and Derek together at a table. Derek looked up from his conversation with Blair and waved the three over.

"Connor, we saved a table for you and your entourage." Derek smirked at the three.

"Why thank you Reese. I see you have your patient looking much better." John looked over to Blair and smiled.

Blair was looking much better, she had rested in bed for most of the afternoon.

"I had a nice restful sleep this afternoon Connor. Now I feel a hundred times better." Blair beamed.

John sat down at the table across from Derek and Blair, immediately he was flanked by both Amanda and Allison.

Derek gave the girls a funny look. "What's with you two…you his body guards or something?"

"John asked us to join him for dinner….so here we are." Allison replied nonchalantly.

"Did you guys eat yet?" Amanda asked.

"They just started serving food now. You two can go if you want, I'll follow along in a minute." Derek waved the girls along.

Allison got up to leave, but paused for a second. "Would you like me to get you a plate of food John?" She stared at John intently, waiting for his answer.

"Sure, thank you Allison." John was surprised at her helpfulness

"Coffee too?" Amanda questioned.

"Coffee would be just fine Amanda."

The girls ran off towards the counter to get the food, both in a race to see who would get to it first.

Derek looked at John and grinned. "Damn Connor, looks like you have personal servants. If I asked, it would be like pulling teeth to get them to do something for me."

"That's because you're around them all the time Derek and in their eyes, it was Connor that saved them. He is their hero." Blair tossed in.

"Well I was there too." Derek sat up and gave Blair a sharp look.

"Maybe so, but you were downstairs and John was upstairs." Blair pointed out.

"Well if it means I get to sit and be served, I'll manage." John smirked.

Blair gave John a look. "Well the girls really like you Connor, so you better be nice to them and not run them ragged. I'll tell Kate on you and she'll put you in the dog house."

John laughed and Blair soon broke her stony look and smirked.

"Kate….yeah…I miss her and my other sweetie. It'll be nice to get back to see them, I hate leaving them." John's eyes glassed over a bit as he thought of Kate and Kayla.

Blair put her hand over John's and gave it a squeeze. "We'll be back tomorrow."

"Mmmm….tomorrow isn't soon enough Williams." John spoke softly as he looked off towards nothing in particular.

"Well I'm starving so I'm off to get some grub." Derek stretched and got up from the table. "Blair? Would you like me to bring you a plate of food too?" He locked his blue eyes onto her brown.

Blair gave him a crooked grin and there was a little twinkle in her eyes. "Doctors orders?"

"Yes"

"Well if you insist, then the answer is yes."

Derek nodded and spun around to make his way towards the counter and the growing line of hungry patrons.

As soon as Derek was out of ear shot, John leaned in to speak to Blair. "So Williams, I see you and Reese are getting along quite well."

"Well he can be a bit of a bone head, but I know he means well." Blair looked away and smiled for a second. "He does have beautiful blue eyes….I could stare at them all day long."

"Just don't be too hard on him Williams, he has had a tough time too."

"I know….I can see it in his eyes…the sadness." Blair continued to stare off, lost in her thoughts.

"We all have a little sadness inside Williams. Everyone has lost and suffered." John replied solemnly.

"Yes we have." Blair whispered solemnly.

Moments later, two hyper teen girls bounded up to the table with plates of food in their arms. Allison placed a plate in front of John and sat down beside him with her own plate of food. Amanda had her plate of food and a cup of coffee for John that she plunked down beside him.

Both girls looked to him for praise, but they were met with a puzzled expression.

"Is something wrong with the food?" Allison asked.

"Forks?" John glanced over to Allison and raised his brow.

"Oh shit….I forgot…be right back." Allison shot up and raced over to the bin that held the utensils.

Blair gave John an evil eye. "Connor"

John looked at Blair and smiled. "Yeah I know, don't be tough on them."

Amanda gave John a funny look, but went back to working on devouring her dinner. She had made sure she had a fork for herself

Allison came running back seconds later. "Here you go" she said breathlessly as she handed John a fork.

John grinned and thanked Allison.

A moment later, Derek carefully walked up to the table, balancing two plates on one arm and two cups of coffee in his other hand. Slowly he placed the warm beverages down and then passed a plate over in front of Blair.

Blair looked at her plate and frowned.

"Something wrong?" Derek asked, he had a worried look on his face.

"No forks Reese?"

"Fuck….I'll be right back." Derek muttered to himself as he got up again and went back to the counter.

"Williams? Aren't you being a little demanding and harsh?" John playfully asked.

Blair shot him a look. "Hey…I'm wounded. I deserve to be waited on."

John chuckled and shook his head.

As soon as Derek got back, everyone settled into their meal and some light conversation.

Eventually Kyle and Melissa joined them at the table. There was an aura of normalcy and a certain peacefulness as everyone silently, but swiftly ate their meal.

Only after everyone had finished did the conversation ramp up and laughter made its way around the table. It seemed even the ones that were the source of the joking and laughter were having a good time, a rarity in these grim times.

After dinner John and Sikes went over some of the paper work Derek and Melissa had presented them and decided on who got what, from the confiscated items brought back from the raider camp. Seeing as it was getting late and John wanted to make an early start, it was determined by both men, that they would finish up things in the morning.

John left the meeting room and made his way to the men's general quarters to clean himself up a bit before getting some sleep.

Allison and Amanda both left with Melissa to wash up and get settled for the night in the woman's quarters. Things would be a bit cramped in the woman's dormitory, especially with all the new comers being either women or children. Most girls would double up in the bunk beds, while others would need to triple or quadruple themselves in the larger beds. It was going to be a long and uncomfortable night for all, but at least they were safer there than outside.

Derek and Kyle helped Blair to her bed in the medical wing of the bunker. She had made both brothers promise to not leave her behind as there was no way she was willing to sit around at Hammerhead and wait for the next supply run from Crystal Peak.

Once the brothers had Blair settled and comfortable in her curtained off stall, they both went to leave, but Blair called out to Derek.

"Reese?"

Both brothers looked around.

Blair looked at Derek. "Can I talk to you for a moment Reese?"

Derek pointed to his chest. "Me?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Yes you. Come here for a moment…please?" She smiled sweetly, after she said please.

"Well I'm off to grab top bunk then." Kyle smirked, winked at Blair and took off out of the room.

Blair patted the edge of her bunk. "You can sit here."

Puzzled, Derek sat down on the bunk. "So what is it Williams?"

Blair looked into Derek's eyes, she took a deep breath and smiled at him.

"Derek?"

"Yes?"

Derek was still a bit puzzled over what Blair wanted.

"I wanted to just say thank you for helping me out today and for helping to patch me up too." Blair kept staring into his eyes, she slid her hand over, grasped his hand for a moment and gave it a quick squeeze.

"I…It was nothing Williams. You needed help and I was near by." Derek turned a little red from embarrassment and looked down at where she had slid her hand into his.

"Lean a little closer, I need to tell you something Derek." Blair's voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes had become brighter and she had a crooked smile on her lips.

Derek shuffled closer and placed a hand on either side of Blair so as to keep himself steady, then he leaned in closer.

"What is it you need to tell me Williams?" He whispered back.

"Come closer Derek." Blair's voice was barely audible, she bit her bottom lip while waiting for Derek to lean in more.

Derek wasn't sure if this was another trick or something, so he leaned to within a few inches of her face. "Is this close enough?" He breathed.

"Derek?"

"Yes?"

Blair brought her hand up to Derek's face, ran her fingers along his cheek, under his ear and back around his neck. She pulled him nearer, parted her lips and tenderly kissed him. Blair closed her eyes and savored the moment.

Derek was shocked at first, but soon was caught up in the kiss. He too closed his eyes and returned the kiss with equal tenderness.

"Oh for crying out loud, will you two go get a room please. I'm trying to sleep." A voice from another stall bellowed.

Instantly the couple broke their kiss, both of them turning various shades of red from the embarrassment of being caught kissing.

"I'll be right back." Derek got up and left her stall.

The next stall was empty, but the third one Derek popped his head into contained a rather peeved looking Martin Bedell.

"Oh…man I am really sorry. Look I'm leaving right away, we won't disturb you again." Derek apologized sheepishly as he made to leave right away.

Martin huffed. "Well the pain is killing me and the medic isn't here yet with my pain killers. To top it off, you two decide to get all kissy and mushy….it's not hard to hear you two, the walls are curtains." He put extra emphasis on the curtain part by waving his arm towards the divider.

"I'm really sorry….I'm leaving right away and I'll find the medic for you." Derek was genuinely sorry for disturbing Martin.

"Just finish up saying your good night and fetch me that damn medic and I'll call us even." Martin dismissed Derek with a wave of his hand and went back to sulking in his bed.

Derek swiftly made his way back to Blair.

Blair had an impish grin on her face, she was enjoying the embarrassment Derek was forced to endure. She had, of course, heard everything Martin had said, but didn't have to face the wrath or embarrassment.

"Now what Williams?" Derek was agitated.

"Nuthin' Reese" Blair curled her lips up in a half grin.

"What?"

"Just get over here Reese." On the outside, Blair was making a poor attempt at being angry and demanding, but inside her head was spinning around with excitement.

Derek walked over and sat down in the same spot he had left. Both of them locked eyes, prompting Derek to lean in for another kiss, but this time he was stopped by Blair's hand on his chest.

"What now Blair?" Derek snapped.

"Do you promise not to leave me here?"

_I swear this woman is going to drive me nuts._ Derek thought to himself, then he replied in a rather irritated manner. "Yes Blair, I promise not to leave you here….okay?"

Derek leaned in to kiss Blair, but again she stopped him from advancing by holding her hand to his chest.

"Hold on there Reese." Blair was all about being stern.

"Can't we seal the promise with a kiss?" Derek gave Blair a 'puppy dog' look while he asked, but it got him nowhere with her.

"When the promise is fulfilled, then you get the kiss and not a moment sooner Reese." If Blair could have crossed her arms in determination, she would have. Instead she leaned back and gave him an icy stare, just to show she was serious.

"What the hell Blair….Why did you kiss me just now?" Derek was bewildered, but kept his voice hushed.

"That was a thank you kiss Reese and when I am back at Crystal Peak, you'll get another one….maybe." Blair stated as a matter of fact.

"Well then looks like you'll owe me big time Williams." Derek smirked and got up to leave, but Blair stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

Derek sat down again and looked into Blair's face, he was perplexed over what was happening. "What now?" He whispered as he moved in closer to Blair.

Blair had a mischievous look on her face just before she leaned forward and kissed Derek again, but this time it was barely a brush of her lips onto his. As soon as Derek realized what had happened, the kiss was over.

Blair leaned back in silent triumph, her impish grin had returned.

Derek sat on the edge of the bed, unsure as to what just happened and what to do. He didn't know if he should be overjoyed or shocked, so he just sat on the bed with a silly look on his face.

"I don't understand, what was that kiss for?" Derek whispered as his brow knitted itself together in deep concentration.

"I dunno Reese, maybe it's the drugs they gave me." Blair giggled.

"You do realize that you are driving me crazy Williams. I don't know what to do with you." Derek was all honesty in the way he spoke to her. Deep down he really was totally in the dark over what Blair wanted, but he knew now that he wanted her.

Fully knowing that she had succeeded in Derek's undivided attention, Blair casually brushed her hair back from her face and pretended to be tired.

"I'm sorry Reese, but I am really tired. Can we talk about this when we get back to Crystal Peak?" Blair put on her most innocent face she could muster.

Derek sighed.

He looked away for a moment, then looked back at Blair. Derek brought up his finger to wave at her as he began to speak. "You are really sneaky Williams, but I'm on to your little game her. Just be prepared to pony up on your 'thank you kiss' when we get back to Crystal Peak, and no cheap short ones either."

Blair just gave Derek an amused look, then spoke. "You'll just have to wait and see…good night Reese."

"Williams" He huffed and then stood up to leave.

"Don't forget the medic needs to be sent in here…remember your promise Reese." Blair added in a voice loud enough so Martin could hear.

"Yeeesss, I know." Derek answered through gritted teeth, frustration and embarrassment was written all over his face as he slipped past the curtain and made his way to the next room.

Blair leaned back and sighed, the kiss had been much better than she had anticipated.

She was thoroughly enjoying his undivided attention and secretly hoped things would grow between them. There was something about Derek that made her want to be with him more and more.

Just down the narrow hallway was the main medical room. It served as storage for medical supplies as well as the main operating room for serious injuries.

Derek casually knocked on the door and entered. The room was dimly lit by a small lantern on a desk just inside the doorway. At it sat a smallish man in his late twenties.

"What can I do for you?" The small man asked.

"I just came from the recovery room next door and it seems the guy in the third stall wants his pain killers." Derek explained.

"Ahhh….yes, Martin Bedell. I'll see him shortly, as well as Blair Williams. They both need their meds for the night." The man replied.

"Oh really, so Williams didn't get her meds yet?" Derek lifted his brow.

"Nope"

Derek mused inwardly over the curt answer. _Damn that girl. She pretended to be tired from the drugs, but didn't even get any yet. Payback will be sweet. _A small smile came across Derek's lips as he slowly formulated a plan to get back at Blair and her little mind games.

"Is there anything else?" The medic asked.

Derek snapped out of his thoughts

"Oh…no sorry, I was just thinking about something. I'll be on my way now, but I'll be back tomorrow morning to get Williams ready for the trip." Derek quickly made his way out of the room and down the hallway towards the men's dormitory.

The medic just shook his head and went back to his paperwork. He would look in on his patients in a few minutes, after he had prepared their meds.

...

Melissa, Amanda and Allison had all settled into their cramped quarters. The three of them would be sharing one fairly large bed, an act they were all not to keen on experiencing.

"This sucks that we have to all sleep in one bed." Amanda pouted.

"Just be thankful we have one to sleep in ladies." Melissa shot back.

"Yeah, it is better than sleeping on dirt." Allison added solemnly.

The three had stripped down to t-shirts and underwear as it was on the warm side in the room from all the extra bodies stuffed into it. They all piled into the bed and settled in for the night. Allison and Amanda were not tired, they were still worked up over the excitement of the day and so they continued to babble about what had gone on and what might happen. They sat cross legged on the bed, while Melissa lay back on her pillow with her hands behind her head.

"Do you think Derek and Blair will hook up?" Amanda gushed.

"Oh my God, that would be so cool if they did." Allison countered.

Melissa smiled to herself, but the girls looked over, noticed her silence and pressed the issue.

"Hey Mel…you're awfully quiet. What do you think of Derek and Blair being an item?" Amanda pressed.

"Ummmm…well…I sorta got them to be an item." Melissa blurted out.

"Ohhh?" The two girls responded together.

"Okay…promise not to tell?" Melissa whispered.

"Promise" Allison and Amanda whispered back.

Melissa sat up to join the other two and make a circle on the bed.

The two girls were engrossed in the drama unfolding, they hung on every word Melissa whispered.

"Oh my God…Derek has seen like nobody for any length of time for ages, it's about time he found someone." Allison added.

"Yeah, it is about time. I mean he is so cute…he needs someone like Blair. She is so pretty too." Amanda was eager to put in her two cents worth.

Melissa thought for a second, then spoke. "Yeah he is cute, but not really my type. I kinda started a bet with Blair about snagging a boyfriend."

Both girls ears pricked up and they eagerly leaned in to hear more. The site of the three girls gathered around in a circle was reminiscent of times long forgotten, when young girls would have sleep overs or slumber parties. The others around then, for the most part either stuck to themselves or were already sleeping.

"So you helped get them together?" Allison eagerly asked.

"Well….yeah….but it was mostly Blair liking Derek. I could see she had a thing for him." Melissa whispered nonchalantly.

"Ohhh that is so sweet…they look really good together." Amanda added.

Melissa went on to recount what had gone on after Blair had lost Marcus and what had happened to John as a result of Marcus's sacrifice. The girls were spellbound by the story and its details, they hung on every word spoken from Melissa's lips. After Melissa had finished, it took a moment before the girls had let everything settle in.

Allison spoke first. "So Blair had not bothered to see anyone after Marcus?"

"Yes, that's about it." Melissa answered honestly.

"You mean she just kept to herself?" Amanda questioned.

"Well sorta….look…she just clammed up, kept to herself, cut herself off from seeing anyone. She had been hurt by all that had gone on with Marcus. All I did was help get her out of her shell. If she didn't snap out of it, she might just have lost it and ended up doing something stupid and reckless. She is a good friend and I didn't want to see that happen to her" Melissa stopped and looked away for a second, her eyes becoming moist from the thought of losing yet another close friend.

"Allie and me are the same. We have been friends for almost 2 years and I would cry if I ever lost her." Amanda looked over to Allison and smiled warmly.

"Awww…you always say the nicest things Mandy." Allison leaned over to hug Amanda and whispered into her ear. "I feel exactly the same about you too Mandy."

"You two are more like sisters then friends." Melissa stated as a matter of fact.

"Yeah, we drive each other crazy sometimes. Like when I bug Allie about John Connor." Amanda gives Allison an all knowing smirk.

Allison tries to give Amanda the 'evil eye', but she fails miserably, as it only ends up making Amanda laugh. In frustration Allison slugs Amanda in the shoulder.

"It's supposed to be a secret dummy." Allison blurts out.

"Oh God…I bet everyone knows you like him." Amanda informs Allison with a broad smile, while she rubs her sore shoulder.

"So do you Mandy."

"Shut up…I do not."

"Liar, liar Mandy…" Allison has a playful grin on her lips.

"Ladies…it's obvious to me that both of you like Connor, but he is happily married." Melissa cuts in.

Her statement is met with pouts and grumbles from the two teens.

"Well it's true and he has a little girl too." Melissa adds.

"He's still cute to me." Allison beamed.

"Same here" Amanda chirped.

Melissa smirked and shook her head. " Look…there will be plenty of boys around your age at Crystal Peak to check out."

"You don't know Derek like we do Mel. If a boy looks at either Mandy or me the wrong way, he's right there…with a gun." Allison stated.

"If he has it his way, Allie and me will never have boyfriends." Amanda chuckled.

"Well maybe Blair will straighten him out." Melissa winked at the girls and leaned back to rest her head on the pillow. She thought for a moment and then looked over to the girls. "Hey"

"Yeah Mel?" Amanda looked over to Melissa.

"How are you two doing after all that happened?"

The two girls glanced at each other, then Allison answered. "We're okay Mel."

"Are you?" Melissa's stare deepened as she looked for any trouble signs from the girls.

"Yeah…we'll be fine." Amanda added.

"Girls…this isn't something to take lightly. If you need to talk about it, then do so. Don't keep everything bottled up inside." Melissa had sat up and leaned in closer to the two girls. Her face showed she was dead serious about what she was saying.

"We're just happy you guys came to save us. Now we just want to forget about it Mel." Allison replied with a stone face, any emotions were kept well hidden from Melissa.

"You will never forget it Allie…but you can deal with it and learn from it. Talking about it will help out lots and you can talk to me or Blair any time you need to." Melissa looked both girls in the eyes as she spoke, making sure they understood she was serious about helping.

Both girls looked down for a moment, seemingly deep in thought, then Amanda spoke up. "Thanks for being here to help Mel, if we need to talk about things we know that we can trust you and Blair."

"Yeah, thanks Mel." Allison looked up and gave Melissa a smile, but it was only masking her pain and sadness over what had happened.

Satisfied that she had done what she could for now, Melissa plunked her head back down onto the pillow.

"Now lets get some sleep, we leave before sunrise tomorrow."

"Awwwwww…"

"Ladies"

The girls stretched out on the bed beside Melissa, it took a few moments, but all three managed to find a comfy spot and settle in for the night.

Allison spoke to Melissa softly. "Thanks Mel for helping Blair and Derek get together and thanks for being our friend."

"It's no problem Allie…I think it'll be nice to have you two around and you will really like The Peak." Melissa whispered back.

"The Peak?"

"Yeah….Crystal Peak. Nobody that's a regular calls it by its full name."

"So I guess we are regulars then." Amanda added.

"You are now…now get some sleep." Melissa ordered.

Both girls happily snuggled in bed and soon fell into a restful sleep. Soon after, Melissa joined them in a deep slumber.

...

Kyle and John were already down for the night when Derek came sauntering into the men's dorm.

"Hey guys, you two already in bed?" Derek asked.

"Well yeah, we have to be up before sunrise. Even the girls are in bed." Kyle stated.

"I dunno, I'm still wide awake." Derek added.

"That's because you spent time with Blair." Kyle gave Derek a knowing look.

"Well it was just a couple of minutes."

"Yeah, yeah…you have the hots for her bro…"

Derek just stood and grinned.

John noticed something different about Derek right away. "A talk huh." John lifted his brow in question.

"Yep"

"She kissed you, didn't she." John stated.

Derek turned beet red. "Hhh…How did you know?" He stuttered.

Kyle chuckled. " All right Bro…you kissed her?"

"Twice" Derek beamed.

John smirked. "I kinda knew you two would become an item. I know Blair and she was hooked right from the first time she set eyes on you Reese. I guess congratulations is in order then."

"We just kissed so it's not really like we are dating or an item...yet." Derek put extra emphasis on the 'yet' part.

"I'm afraid it's official Reese…once she kissed you, that's it yer hers." John chuckled.

"Yeah well we'll see how things go, I don't want to rush things. Besides she does some really freaky things…like some sort of mind games. Sometimes I don't know if she really likes me or not." Derek pondered.

"Welcome to the world of women Reese. They will always keep you guessing and expect you to know what they want without saying it." John sounded serious, but his eyes were bright with mischief.

"Yeah bro…girls can be soooo complicated." Kyle put in his words of wisdom. Even if he had little experience, he wanted to help out his brother in any way possible.

Derek looked over to Kyle and smiled. "Well I'm sure there are plenty of girls at Crystal Peak with broken hearts…right bro?"

"Not yet, but I'm workin' on it" Kyle just turned red and looked away.

"Okay guys, I'm calling it a night." John lay back on his pillow and stretched his legs. "We have a long day ahead of us."

"Night Connor." Derek replied as he climbed up on the top bunk and settled in.

"Night"

"Night guys" Kyle whispered as he smiled to himself, while he thought of his brother and Blair.

"Night Kyle"

"Night bro"

All three soon were sleeping, Kyle being the first to nod off and start to snore, with John and Derek soon falling asleep from sheer exhaustion stemming from the past few traumatic days.

Things were starting to take a turn for the better.

People had been rescued, new friendships and relationships were forming. John Connor's legend had grown to the point where criminals would now fear and respect him. Hope was growing in the masses of human survivors.

The only thing that stuck in the back of many peoples minds was Skynet.

Was Skynet really defeated?

Had the destruction of Skynet Central in San Francisco really sealed the evil machines fate?

Would mankind finally be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief and begin rebuilding?

In John Connors mind, no one was ever safe and he knew deep in his bones that Skynet was still out there, somewhere, waiting to sweep in on the unsuspecting human masses.

He would never be at ease or rest until he was certain Skynet was no more.

...

**Authors Note-** A big thanks goes out to all those that read and review my story.

Thank you to my beta reader The1Russter, your help is tremendous.

If you see any problems or have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Moe


	12. Chapter 11: Wrong Place,Wrong Time

**Chapter 11: Wrong Place at the Wrong Time**

**Hammerhead bunker**

It had been an early night for the girls, but it turned out to be a night filled with uneasy dreams and frightening nightmares. None of the girls had a good sleep and that included the others trying to rest in the same dorm room.

First it was Allison that awakened screaming and crying, followed shortly later by Amanda tossing and turning in her sleep, calling out at unseen intruders.

Melissa had her hands full in trying to keep the two teens calm and keep the disturbance to a minimum. Most of the others in the dorm were sound asleep, even the children seemed unaffected by the sounds the girls made. It seemed the only thing that would wake up the whole room, would be either a bomb crashing or gunfire, anything else was considered unimportant.

Around 4AM, Allison started crying in her sleep again.

Melissa quickly sat up to make sure Allison was okay. "Allie?" She whispered.

"No…leave me alone…I wanna to go home…" Allison sobbed.

"Allie?" Melissa leaned over and gently shook Allison as she whispered her name.

"No…No…don't touch me…" Allison continued to cry out in her sleep, while snatching her arm away from Melissa's touch.

"Allison…Wake up…you're dreaming." Melissa shook Allison harder.

"Keep away from me…"

Allison sat up suddenly, her eyes wide with fear.

"Allie? Are you okay?" Melissa questioned.

Allison looked over to Melissa, her bottom lip was trembling. "It…I…I was dreaming I was back at the camp. Blain was there, he…he was tearing off my clothes…I was trying to get away and call for help, but no one was there"

"I'm here Allie"

Melissa pulled Allison into a hug and ran her hand through the young girls' hair. She had a feeling the girls were going to have a bad time dealing with what had happened to them in the camp.

"I'm sorry Mel…I…"

"Shhhhh…quiet Allie…everything's fine now. It's okay to be upset…I'm right here and I won't let anything happen to you. " Melissa did her best to try to sooth Allison.

Sobbing and shivering, Allison leaned into Melissa's shoulder. Slowly she began to calm down and relax.

Melissa remained holding Allison and running her hand through her hair.

After a few more minutes, Allison had calmed down enough to be able to lie down again.

Melissa eased herself back down onto her pillow, but remained alert for any more signs of distress from either Allison or Amanda. She knew what they were going through and she also knew it would be a long time before they would be able to handle the trauma they had suffered. No way would they ever get over what had happened to them, but they might learn to live with it and move on. Melissa made a silent vow to help them as best she could and to always be there for them.

Melissa let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes, she was tired but unable to fall back asleep. Memories of her painful past came back to haunt her. Melissa knew the girls were lucky to have been spared from being fully violated, she had not been so lucky.

Silently she thought about what had happened to her eight years ago.

_Melissa had been fifteen when Judgment Day occurred, she remembered that day vividly, as it had been the last day she had seen her family. Her Mom, Dad and little brother had seen her off, along with other parents, when she and others from school climbed onto the bus to go on a camping trip._

_They were only to be away for only 3 days, learning some survival skills first hand for the extra credit in school. Three days of wilderness survival training turned into years of just trying to stay alive._

_The first year had been the tough, but the group of thirty or so students and teachers had remained together. Melissa learned a lot that first year after Judgment Day, everyone pitched in to help out, the hope that things would return to normal was still on people's minds._

_Contact with the outside world was rare, but Melissa and the others did manage to find out what had happened and who was responsible for the carnage brought upon humanity. Small groups of survivors did show up from time to time, some honest people looking to trade and others bent on trying to create trouble by stealing or robbing._

_For the most part, things went fairly smoothly, but it wasn't to last long._

_It was shortly after the one year anniversary of that fateful day, when things went terribly bad. Machines had begun to sweep the lesser populated areas for humans, and since her little group had remained in the more mountainous areas, they had been spared the wrath of the unfeeling machines, until one early morning._

_Melissa and a few girls had gone down to a nearby stream to clean up and gather fresh water for the camp. The area was virtually untouched by the ravages of Judgment Day and provided all the basic necessities for group to survive and thrive. They had settled in to an area with a few old cabins for shelter, along with some essential items left behind by the previous owners._

_Melissa leaned down to fill a water canteen when she heard the distinct sound of gunfire._

_Startled by the loud cracks and distant screams, she bolted upright and ran towards some bush nearby._

_Two of the girls with Melissa ended up following her into hiding. All three of them cowered in the foliage, neither of them sure as to what to do._

_It was a few minutes later when one of the girls began to stand up and look around._

"_Sam…get down before one of the machines sees you." Melissa whispered sharply._

"I think we should maybe move and head back to camp." Samantha, a tall skinny blond with brown eyes, nervously whispered back as she gazed out of the bush.

_Sam, you need to listen to Mel. We might get killed or taken away by the machines…you know it's happened before." Laura, a petite brunette with blue eyes, spoke up softly to Samantha._

_Samantha huffed and sat back down beside Melissa and Laura. It was only moments later when they heard more shots and screams from where the camp was located, then all went silent. Even the stream from where they gathered water was strangely quiet._

_Laura began to get fidgety and was about to climb out from the bush when a distant high pitched whine could be heard a distance away._

_Melissa looked over at the other two girls and mouthed 'HK' to them. Both girls nodded their heads in understanding and agreement. All three of them crouched lower to the ground and then laid down flat to the earth, making themselves as small as possible._

_The distinct whine of the Hunter Killer drone got louder as it swept in a search pattern, looking for any stray humans to either capture or terminate. Lucky for the girls , the machine never used thermal imaging in the daytime, the hotter temperature during the day made it less accurate for the machine to track human heat signatures, it relied on visual confirmation of any human presence during the day._

_Slowly the machine slipped over head of the three girls, neither one of them daring to even flinch, for fear of being spotted. The machine paused overhead of them and scanned the area leading up to the stream. _

_Melissa and the other two held their breath in anticipation of either being shot at by the HK or have it fly onwards to another area. Luckily for them, the machine wound up its turbine engines and floated to a higher position. Moments later, the machine sped away towards the camp area._

_Melissa and the others let out sighs of relief and smiled at each other for being able to have the good fortune of not being spotted. Their delight was short lived as the steady rumble of machine treads and stomping of heavy metallic feet slowly grew louder._

_Melissa looked over to the girls. _

"_Metal"_

_Tears started to roll down Samantha's face and Laura didn't look much better._

_Melissa tried to put on a brave face, but inside she was shit scared of what might happen to them._

_All three girls hugged the ground and made themselves as invisible as they could. There was no time to run or find a better hiding spot, they would have to take their chances by remaining in the bush and hope for the best._

_The crash of brush and trees got louder as the machines made their way along the path to the stream._

_The first machines to emerge were the T-1's rolling along on their tracks, slowly but steadily making way towards the stream bed. The first machine stopped and raised its head fully to view the clearing. A pair of red glowing orbs stared off in any direction the machine turned its ugly cranium. Satisfied it had detected nothing, the machine lowered its head and continued along the narrow path through the clearing._

_Two more T-1's followed the lead machine, their heads slowly panning from left to right, scanning the open area._

_Melissa looked up and held her breath as the first machine slowly passed by the hiding spot, she tried to remain still, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking. _

_Once the three lead machines had passed, the foot soldiers marched in. _

_Melissa looked up again as the rhythmic stomping of metallic feet became louder. Her eyes widened as she saw the first pair of humanoid machines come into view. _

_T-70's were not only large, but very ugly too. They stood about 8 feet in height and had red optical sensors for eyes, on what could be called a head. Even from a distance, the machines could never pass for a human, they were too bulky and too tall. _

_Melissa remembered some of the names the traders had called them. 'Kong', 'Toaster', 'Big Foot', and some others she couldn't recall. She had never seen one until now, but knew by the way they looked that these were the machines that had been mentioned._

_The 70's were not very smart, but they could do some major damage if a person met up with one. Fortunately they could be easy to kill as they were not built with heavy armor or strong metal alloys and it helped that they were about as intelligent as a garden slug._

_A well placed gunshot to the head would kill it, and a shot to the legs could immobilize it._

_The problem was, none of the girls had a weapon and there were too many machines to contend with._

_Since this was the first time she had seen these machines, they struck an ominous nerve in Melissa. Instantly she was frozen in fear, as were the other two girls that also managed to get a look at the lumbering machines._

_Fortunately for the girls, the machines were not advanced enough in intelligence and observation techniques, to be able to perform a proper sweep of the area for human survivors. They remained in their hiding spot as the group of 70's passed._

_Melissa counted twelve machines in total as they plodded by, she watched them continue on down the trail along the stream until they were out of site._

_Looking over at Laura and Samantha, she nodded to them to get up._

"_Do you think its safe Mel?" Laura whispered._

_"Yeah…they're gone for now. Probably won't come back this way, if they think everyone is dead." Melissa spoke quietly. "We should go to camp and look for any survivors."_

"_Okay, but you lead the way Mel." Sam nervously spoke up._

_Melissa got up and pushed aside the branches and leaves, the other two followed closely behind. They slowly made their way back to the camp, ducking behind trees, brush, rocks or whatever they could use for cover. They were careful not to make any unnecessary sounds to alert any machines that may still be lurking about._

_A few minutes later, the girls came upon the clearing that was the camp or at least what was left of it. What greeted them was a sight that they would have etched in their minds forever._

_Most bodies were unrecognizable, as they had been either blown apart by explosions or shredded by automatic gunfire from the terminators and the HK drone. Blood and body parts mixed in with soil, grass and foliage._

_All three girls became sick to their stomachs._

_Samantha was the first to double over and retch her guts out, followed by Laura and then Melissa._

_After the initial shock, the girls gathered their wits as best they could and proceeded to look around for any survivors. Deep down they knew the chances of finding anyone alive was slim, but they were determined to search the whole camp._

"_We should split up, so we can search more in less time." Melissa suggested._

_The other two girls looked to her and nodded in agreement._

"_Yeah Mel, that's a good idea. I'll search the main cabin." Laura pointed towards the largest cabin._

"_I'll search the shed and cabin to the west." Melissa added. "Sam…you do the two cabins to the east."_

"_Shouldn't we have some sort of weapon?" Samantha asked, her face filled with worry._

_Melissa looked around and grabbed a shotgun that looked still usable. She made sure it was loaded and handed it over to Samantha._

_"Here, use this, Laura and me will find other weapons to use. If you see metal, you should shoot and then run, especially if you don't kill it. Aim for its head, like Mr. Niska told us."_

_Samantha nodded in understanding and then slowly made her way to the eastern cabins._

_It was good that Melissa didn't recognize some of the bodies, it lessened the pain of seeing people she cared for lying there. Smoke and small fires were present everywhere, indicators of what had happened here just a short while ago. The camp was a complete disaster._

_Melissa looked over to her left and saw another shotgun, she leaned down to pick it up but jumped back. The weapon was still being held near its handle by a hand, no arm, no body, just the hand from the wrist forward._

_Melissa grabbed a stick nearby and poked at the hand. Reluctantly the hand let go of the gun and rolled towards a small bush. She picked up the shotgun by the barrel and wiped the handle down as best she could in the tall grass._

_Making sure it was loaded, Melissa made her way towards the shed. Her nose curled up in disgust as the scent of burned flesh became stronger, the closer she got to the shed._

_Smoke was coming up from a spot near to the shed, but the tall grass hid what was smoldering up until she was almost right on top of the spot._

_Melissa gasped and looked away as tears started to pour down her cheeks._

_The charred remains of Mr. Niska lay twisted at her feet, his metal frames from his glasses being the only way she could tell it was him. _

_Over to the left of his body lay a couple of Molotov cocktails, the wicks still sticking out of the bottles, ready to be lit up and tossed. Seeing this, Melissa concluded that Mr. Niska had either accidentally lit himself on fire or one of the bottles was hit by a stray bullet and its contents ignited him. It was a terrible way to die._

_Carefully she stepped around the body and proceeded towards the shed. Melissa opened the wooden door and peered inside, but no one was there, just small tools and some other supplies were stored in the shed. _

_Fearing the worst, Melissa went off towards the cabin. _

_Again, inside she found no one alive, but signs of a struggle were evident everywhere._

_There was a giant hole in the far wall from the metal blasting a way inside, three of her friends lay dead on the floor, their faces frozen in fear and shock._

_Melissa could only look at them for a brief second, the full weight of what had happened was finally sinking in._

_Dropping her gun, she fell to her knees and began to weep uncontrollably._

_No one had survived._

Tears rolled down her face and onto the pillow.

Melissa's quiet sobs had awakened Allison just beside her.

"Mel?" Allison whispered.

Melissa turned on to her side to face towards Allison, but she still kept crying in her sleep.

Allison hesitantly placed her hand on Melissa's shoulder and gave her a gentle shake.

"Melissa?"

At that moment Amanda also woke up.

Rolling over and leaning up on her arm, Amanda spoke up. "What's going on Allie?"

"Melissa is having a bad dream Mandy, I'm just trying to wake her up."

Allison gently shook Melissa again, this time Melissa's eyes flew open. Even in the dim light, Allison could tell Melissa was upset and scared.

"Mel, you were crying, are you okay?" Allison asked quietly.

Melissa brought her hand up to wipe away the stray tears and did her best to compose herself. "It was just a bad dream, I'm okay now."

Allison's eyes narrowed in concern. "Are you sure Mel?"

"Yes I'm fine, besides its time to get ready to go."

Allison glanced back to Amanda and gave her a funny look.

Amanda just shrugged, climbed off the bed and got dressed.

Melissa thought for a moment, looked around, then spoke quietly. "I'll tell you guys about it later, now is not a good time. Too many ears around here and I like to keep some things private."

"Okay Mel, we understand." Allison smiled, turned to slip off the bed and get ready to leave.

Melissa let out a big sigh, swung her legs off the bed and placed her feet on the floor.

Old memories had come back to mess with her normally calm nerves and she didn't like it.

###

John and the others had managed to get a good nights sleep, all had awakened at about the same time and were already dressed. They gathered their gear and proceeded out of the men's dorm to get something to eat and drink.

John was anxious to get back home to his family, he had been away from them for too long.

Derek and Kyle were fully awake and in the thick of going about bugging and shoving each other regarding anything that popped up in conversation. All this going on while they made their way to breakfast.

"So after breakfast yer off to go get your sweetie Blair?" Kyle gave his brother a shove on the shoulder as they both followed John in the hallway.

"I'll talk to the Doc first before getting her, just in case she needs to stay here… by the way, she is not my sweetie…not yet." Derek added with a smirk.

"If you leave her here, she'll hurt you bad Bro. You don't know her like I do." Kyle pointed at his chest like he was the all knowing grand master of Crystal Peak. He smiled inwardly at the prospect of Derek getting shit from Blair, he knew exactly how stubborn she could be and going against her will could be disastrous for his brother.

"I'll let the Doc decide that. I wouldn't want her moved and risk any more complications from her being hurt."

"It's your funeral Bro." Kyle waved his hand as if dismissing the subject.

"Guys, we are not leaving Williams behind. We are taking it slow today and unless she has gotten worse overnight, she is coming with us." John cut in.

John knew she would never stand for being left behind, besides, she would get better care at Crystal Peak. Hammerhead was a good bunker, but it had its limitations. Home had its advantage of being better equipped and it had the watchful eyes of people that knew Blair.

"Ha…I knew Connor wouldn't leave Blair behind." Kyle spoke out confidently.

"Never mind Blair, let's talk about your love life Kyle." Derek lifted his eyebrow as he looked over to his younger sibling.

Kyle smiled sheepishly and looked away.

"Nuthin' to talk about Bro."

"Oh please…there must be someone."

"Nope"

"No?"

"Even if there was, I wouldn't tell you…well…not right away."

Derek smiled, contemplated for a second and spoke up. "What about Amanda? She's pretty and only slightly younger than you Kyle."

Kyle turned beet red and looked over at nothing in particular as he gathered his thoughts.

"Yeah she's pretty, but she's Allison's friend and I know they talk."

"So!"

"So I don't want them talkin' bout me and her."

"Yer such a dumbass sometimes Lil' Bro."

Derek playfully smacked Kyle on the back of the head and ruffled his hair.

The three continued on into the eating area of the bunker, grabbed something to drink and sat down to wait for the others to arrive.

Moments later Allison came in, followed by Amanda and Melissa. All three girls looked very tired and the usual happy smiles were missing from their faces.

John looked over to the girls and noticed right away that something was wrong.

"Morning ladies… You three look like you've been up all night." John called out.

Melissa yawned and responded with a grumble about needing some coffee to wake up.

Allison smiled weakly at John. "We had a bad sleep…ummm…the bed was very crowded …and…uhhh…not too comfortable." She shot a quick glance over to Amanda.

"Yeah…Allie was hoggin' the bed and snored." Amanda quickly added as she yawned.

Allison narrowed her eyes, glared at Amanda and mumbled under her breath to her. "Not in front of Connor, Mandy."

John looked up and lifted his brow upon hearing his name.

"Never mind…it was both of you snoring like cranky old men." Melissa yawned again as she plunked herself down in a chair. Her blond locks beginning to look stringy and greasy from being unwashed for so long. She looked over to Allison pleadingly. "Allie…be a sweetie and please get me a coffee."

"No problem Mel." Allison grinned and bounded off towards the counter to grab a coffee for Melissa.

Melissa noticed how Allison seemed to have rebounded from being so tired and shrugged it off as her being much younger.

Melissa sighed. "I'm getting too old for staying up most of the night."

"Us three slept fine." Kyle chirped.

Melissa gave Kyle a 'hell has frozen over' glare.

Deciding to change the subject before Kyle got himself hurt, John spoke up. "Did you guys double check everything we are taking back to Crystal Peak?"

"Yes" Both Derek and Melissa answered at the same time. Melissa answered the question with a bit less enthusiasm than Derek.

"Well aren't you a sorry lot to lay eyes on." A female voice calls out from behind.

Derek looks up and instantly smiles. "Blair!"

"Don't Blair me…I had to get up myself and make sure you didn't leave me behind."

"We would never do that Williams." John replied.

"I know you wouldn't, but the bone head over here just might try." Blair winked at John and nodded towards Derek.

"Hey…I was going to get you right after coffee." Derek said hurtfully.

"What about my coffee?" Blair pouted and crossed her good arm in front of her other in a sling.

"Well…" Derek began to talk, but was quickly cut off.

"I'm crippled here and you got two hands." Blair gave Derek a 'damsel in distress' look.

Crumbling under pressure, Derek relented and went off to get Blair a coffee. All the way to the counter, he mumbled and grumbled under his breath. "Damn woman…pain in the…just drives me crazy."

While Derek was off getting her coffee, Blair took his seat and made herself comfortable.

"Glad to see you look so well rested Williams." John spoke up.

Blair shot John a quick smile. "I slept like a rock Connor, they gave me some good pain killers. I feel ten times better today, just a little sore in the shoulder."

"That's good to hear Williams"

Blair looked over to Melissa and Amanda and noticed they looked very tired. "How come you two look so tired?"

Melissa was just about to explain, when Allison showed up with a tray of coffee cups, followed shortly after by a brooding Derek with Blair's coffee.

"Coffee for your Highness… and I see you took my seat." Derek placed the cup in front of Blair and bowed.

Not letting Derek get the upper hand, Blair responded. "Why thank you Derek for the coffee and keeping my seat warm…that will be all." She dismissed Derek with a wave of her hand.

Allison and Amanda giggled, Melissa smirked and Derek stood there not knowing what to say next. Wisely he chose to remain quiet and sat down across from Blair.

Unable to control himself, Kyle spoke up. "Sooo…Blair…"

"Yes Kyle"

"I hear you've been kissin' my Brother."

If looks could kill, Derek would have been at deaths door. Blair glared at him and he slid a bit lower in his chair.

Expressions of shock and pleasant surprise came from the other girls.

"You kissed Derek?" Allison blurted out excitedly.

"Well you all might as well know the truth, since blabber mouth decided to tell all." Blair looked straight at Derek as she spoke, her face masked in a peeved look, but her eyes sparkled with playful happiness. Inwardly she was secretly glad it had been brought up, as she had been itching to tell the girls.

Blair went on to explain in detail how they came about kissing and how they had disturbed Martin. Derek began to turn various shades of red as Blair told the story without skipping a beat.

Once she had finished her story, all eyes fell upon Derek.

Derek shrugged his shoulder. "Well she told ya everything, she left out nothing. I will add that Connor already knew what had happened, even before I had told him."

"Oh really." Blair looked over to John with questioning eyes.

John remained cool and calm. "It was written all over his face when he came back from visiting you Williams. He was grinning from ear to ear, all I did was put two and two together and come up with him getting kissed by you."

"It was the worst kept secret around Blair." Melissa cut in. "I could see it in your face right from when you first lay eyes on him. I knew you liked him."

Blair smiled at Melissa. "Well I felt sorry for him and he is kinda cute."

"Yeah but it might take a while to get him trained right." Melissa replied nonchalantly.

Derek coughed up his coffee he had just gulped.

"What?...Trained?...I don't need training!" Derek managed to wheeze out, while he caught his breath.

"You may look like a man, but yer still a little boy inside Derek. You just need a little refining on how to treat a girl right." Blair teased.

"Refining?" Derek looked at Melissa, and then Blair, but all he got in return were serious glares of authority that soon changed into fits of laughter.

Derek looked over to John for help, but was met a crooked grin and a shrug of the shoulder.

Allison and Amanda sat back and took everything in, watching and learning the fine art of driving a guy crazy while gaining the upper hand.

Kyle couldn't help but notice the two smaller girls drinking in the conversation with their ears and eyes. He paused for a moment to take a closer look at Amanda.

_Derek was right, she is pretty and her eyes are so bright and blue._

While Kyle was caught up in staring at Amanda, Allison had been busy stealing quick looks at John, but on one occasion she quickly glanced away and noticed what Kyle was doing.

Being oblivious to what Kyle was doing, Amanda got a dig in the ribs from Allison's elbow. She shot a look over to Allison but soon followed Allison's pointing finger to see Kyle staring at her or so it seemed.

Amanda was puzzled at Kyle's look.

On the one hand he was looking right at her, but he had a funny grin on his face and he seemed to be staring right through her.

"Kyle"

Kyle snapped out of his little dream as soon as Amanda called out his name. "Sorry…huh?"

"Stop staring at me, you're creeping me out Kyle!" Amanda replied.

"Huh?...What?...No I wasn't staring at you…I…I was thinking." Kyle managed to stammer out.

"Well look somewhere else when you think." Amanda was a bit annoyed once she found out he was thinking of something else instead of her.

Fortunately for Kyle, he managed to wangle his way out of getting into too much trouble with Amanda. He had been thinking of her, but he would have died inside if she had found out the truth.

Kyle blushed a bit and looked away, he quietly went back to thinking about what his brother had said about Amanda.

"Okay, enough of the chit chat and tormenting. We need to get ready to move ASAP. After coffee and something to eat, I want everyone by the trucks to do a final check and then we are on the road to home. Got it?" John was eager to get going, the others could sense it in the way he spoke with authority.

They all answered with a 'Yes Sir' and quietly went about getting their breakfast and finishing their drinks.

John, Kyle and Derek were the first to finish up at the table. They quickly made their way towards the trucks and began checking over equipment.

The girls remained behind and finished up their breakfast.

Taking the opportunity to speak openly, without anyone nearby, Melissa began to talk.

"Blair?"

"Yeah Mel?"

"The reason the three of us look so tired is…well…. Allison and Amanda had a rough night with some nightmares."

"Oh?" Blair looked over to the two girls, who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Mandy and me, we had some dreams about what had happened to us and it scared us." Allison nervously spoke up.

"There's no need to worry about it girls, its okay to have bad dreams about what happened." Blair softly spoke.

"It's gonna take some time to get over what happened and remember that you will probably have more bad dreams. Blair and I will both be here to help you two." Melissa added.

Both girls seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the same time.

"Blair, Melissa, you two, are the best." Allison got up and hugged first Blair and then Melissa.

Amanda got up and did the same, but she added a whispered 'thank you' while she took turns hugging the two older women.

Blair got up slowly, then stopped for a moment. "Girls… anytime you need to talk, we are here and when we get back to Crystal Peak, we'll talk some more where it's more private. Okay?"

"Okay"

"Okay Blair"

Once Blair was ahead and out of earshot, Allison spoke up. "Mel, I noticed you didn't mention your nightmare. How come?"

Melissa looked over to Allison and sighed. "Its something I'll tell you about when we get back and besides, Blair knows what had happened to me, she also knows about my nightmares too. She's a good listener and she helped me out a lot." Melissa paused for a second as Allison and Amanda both sat back down, then she continued. "I know what you went through and what could have happened. I'm still dealing with things that happened to me a long time ago, but talking about it helps…it really does."

Melissa looked at both the girls, she could see in their faces that they still were having trouble dealing with what had happened to them, this was above and beyond what they were going through from a day to day basis. Life was hell already, but to have others kidnap innocent women and children for slavery and whatever else, it was no wonder Skynet thought so little of human kind.

Melissa smiled reassuringly at the two teens. "You two clean up a bit and then meet me at the convoy, I've got some last minute checking to do. Okay?"

"Okay Mel." The girls replied.

All three girls got up from the table, the younger ones helped clear it of dishes, while Melissa strode off to help in getting the convoy ready for the trip back home.

**Outside Hammerhead bunker**

Derek and Kyle had a few moments alone, while they made sure any loose items were tied down for the trip.

"I see you got in a bit of trouble with Amanda Bro." Derek smirked.

"About the same as you got from Blair…Bro." Kyle quickly shot back, turning Derek's smirk into a frown.

"Yeah…yeah…whatever. She is injured ya know, so she's bound to be a bit cranky." Derek pointed to a rope and motioned to Kyle to grab it and tie down the last of the crates in the transport truck. "Make yourself useful and secure the crates, I'll go and check the next truck in line."

"Sure thing boss. The sooner we get going, the sooner I get to sit back and rest."

Derek looked over to Kyle and shook his head in disbelief. "Rest? We've only been up for like an hour or so and yer tired already?"

"Hey…I need my rest to keep up my good looks." Kyle pointed to himself and grinned.

"A few weeks of sleep and you might look half as good as me Bro."

"I think he looks just fine." A familiar female voice calls out from behind the two brothers.

"Blair!" Derek calls out. "You should be resting up for the trip back."

"I may be hurt, but I can still supervise. Now get back to work…so…so I can supervise."

Blair muttered to herself for screwing up what she wanted to say, she knew Derek would probably catch on to why she had showed up. She wanted to be around him, maybe get to know him better and tease him some more.

_Damn, why am I acting so silly now? He's bound to know something is up._

Inwardly Blair was in turmoil, but outwardly she began to display something she couldn't quite pinpoint. It was a cross between a schoolgirl crush and love at first site, she was quickly losing control.

It was too late, Derek had caught on as to why Blair had stopped by. "So you missed me …huh?"

"No!"

"So why are you here then?"

Blair smiled coyly. "Supervising!"

"Yeah…whatever…well how are we doing?"

"From my angle, not bad." Blair was directly behind Derek as he leaned over to attach a rope to a cargo hook.

Derek knew exactly what Blair was looking at, unfortunately being fully aware made Derek's face beet red from embarrassment.

Kyle sat back, enjoying the moment to see his brother having Blair torment him more.

Unable to resist, Blair stepped closer and placed her hand on Derek's back in a vain attempt at helping out.

Startled by her bold move, Derek lost his balance and awkwardly fell flat on top of the crate he was trying to secure with Kyle. He muttered to himself, pushed up and swung around to confront Blair.

"Listen girly, yer supposed to supervise…Not touch the merchandise!"

Blair giggled and apologized. "I'm so sorry Derek, but I just couldn't resist." She took a step backwards. "I'll just stay back here and 'Supervise'…Okay?"

"As long as you keep your hands to yourself." Derek grunted.

Seconds later, Melissa walked up beside Blair. "Is slow-poke finished here yet?"

"I would be if Blair wasn't busy 'supervising' and touching the goods."

"Ha…don't flatter yourself Reese, I was only trying to prevent you from falling."

"Ohhhh…sure, twist it around Blair, but you'll pay for it later." Derek huffed.

"I'm betting on it Reese." Blair shot Derek a huge smile, then turned to Melissa. "So Mel, are the girls looking forward to coming with us?"

Melissa winked back at Blair. "Why yes Blair, especially since they don't have to bunk with the boys any more."

"Yeah, I don't blame them for wanting to bunk with us…instead of them." Blair pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the two brothers.

"Hey…what do you mean by that?" Kyle seemed hurt by the comment.

Both girls turned to confront Kyle.

"Well…" Melissa pondered for a moment. "You and Derek do smell funny and have the manners like a couple of apes."

"Well as long as they don't fling their own crap around." Blair added.

Derek smiled, shook his head, but kept silent.

Both women broke out in laughter, at the brothers' expense.

"What's so funny here?" John called out as he strode up.

"Blair and Melissa are being pains in the asses." Kyle blurted out

"Awwww...poor baby!" Melissa cooed.

"Ladies, stop tormenting the boys and find a vehicle for you and the two smaller girls to travel in." John spoke in his commanding voice.

"Yes sir Connor, we'll be on our way." Blair answered and gave Melissa a quick tug on the arm.

"Yes sir, we'll go get the girls ready and settled in another vehicle." Melissa added.

Both girls gave Derek and Kyle a big grin, turned away and sauntered off towards another vehicle further along the row.

"Are you two almost done here? I'd like to leave here today if it's possible." John was asking, but it seemed more like an order.

"Five minutes Connor and we can go." Derek replied.

John smiled, turned on his heel and moved off towards the front of the convoy, stopping at each vehicle on the way to monitor progress and to make sure everything went smoothly.

Eager to get back to his family, John wanted everything to run as smooth as possible so he could get home without a hitch. Part of that included him personally inspecting the cargo, people and vehicles.

Minutes later, John was comfortably nestled into the driver's seat of this Hummer.

He picked up the radio microphone and began to speak. "Listen up… We move in two minutes, so make sure you are ready to go. I don't want any delays in leaving, especially since we have a long day of travel ahead of us.."

John was cut off by having the doors yanked open and four females pile into the vehicle.

Visibly agitated John put down the mic and called out. "Ladies?... What are you up to?"

"We thought you'd need some company, so we decided to join you. Besides, you know I like to ride shotgun." Blair winked as she gradually eased herself into the front seat.

Melissa, Amanda and Allison scrambled into the rear seat. Allison was off to one side so she could catch a glimpse of John's profile, Amanda sat beside her and Melissa was behind John.

"So no one wanted to ride with the Reese brothers?" John playfully asked. He knew what the answer would be, even before the girls responded.

"Uhh…no way. Kyle is being creepy and Derek is bound to be crabby all the way to Crystal Peak." Amanda responded.

Allison nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Blair and Melissa just told us what happened with Derek by the trucks, so he's bound to be in a black mood. Besides, he'll try to grill me and Mandy about secrets we might have about him or about Blair."

"I'm sure you two told her everything." John turned to look at the younger girls.

Allison grinned. "No…not everything, well not yet anyways."

Both girls looked to each other and giggled.

"Yeah, like how he loves his guns so much, I think he gives them all names." Amanda added.

"What?" Blair crinkled her brow and shook her head in disbelief.

"Oh my God, it's true Blair. Just wait and he'll call some gun after you too!" Allison smirked, but she was dead serious about what Derek might do.

"I am so happy I am not the brunt of your abuse ladies." John stated. "Now lets get a move on….I think this is going to be a very long trip for me."

John picked up the microphone again and barked in orders to move out. Engines cranked and burst to life, shattering the peacefulness of a chilly quiet morning. The convoy was finally on its last leg to get back home.

**Convoy northeast of L.A.**

It had been an hour or so into the journey back home, when the convoy came upon a blockage in the road and ground to a halt. Normally there were all sorts of obstacles left in the road, such as abandoned vehicles, rubble, and impassable sections blasted out from either human, nature or Skynet.

This time it looked like the blockage was intentional, as it was not here the last time they had passed through on their way into the city ruins.

Blair sat up and took notice right away. "Connor…this wasn't here when we came in a couple of days ago."

"I know" John replied broodingly.

John picked up the mic and gave the order to have the convoy remain on high alert for any signs of an ambush.

"Melissa, you and I are going to take a look around. Williams, you and the girls stay here, keep an eye out for anything fishy and give a shout if you do see anything."

"Connor…I should go with you and…"

"Williams, that's an order. You're in no shape to be running around out here."

"Yes sir"

John and Melissa slowly got out of the Hummer, their weapons loaded and ready to fire, both of them instinctively placing their fingers on the triggers as they began to look around.

They were in the middle of nowhere, out in the open, surrounded by wild nothingness.

The road itself was about three meters up from the surrounding area and the grade was too steep for them to try to circumvent the blocked section of road with all of the vehicles, some of them being loaded to the maximum limit for weight.

"This doesn't look good Connor." Melissa nervously spoke up.

John nodded in agreement. "I know"

Normally a spot easily passed, this section of road had been blocked by a car driven or dragged into place and then its tires slashed to prevent it from being easily moved out of the way. This was something deliberately put in the way to stop the convoy.

John kneeled down and began to think. _Was this a trap set out to stop our convoy or any convoy?_

"Melissa, go tell Williams to get on the radio and tell everyone to keep on high alert." John paused in thought before speaking. "Get the girls out here to help keep watch, bring some portable headsets…and make sure the girls have weapons."

Melissa nodded and quickly made her way back to the Hummer.

John motioned to the vehicle parked just behind his, four armed men stepped out and warily made their way to where John was standing.

Upon seeing Melissa's nervous look, Blair knew something was wrong. "What is it Mel?"

"Connor thinks it's a trap, he wants everyone on high alert while we figure out how to get by this barricade. He wants you to radio the other vehicles, let them know what's happening."

"Yeah…okay Mel."

Melissa looked over to Allison and Amanda. "Ladies…I need you to come with me, we need all the eyes we can get to keep lookout...Oh…and bring the radio headsets to hand out to the lookout teams and Connor. "

"How many?"

"Ummm…Five for sure Mandy."

Both girls nodded and made their way out of the truck with the radio headsets.

"Hold it….Weapons ladies!"

"Sorry Mel." Allison apologized and reached back for rifles and ammunition. She passed one rifle to Amanda and kept the second one for herself, then she passed along ammunition to Amanda and pocketed some for herself.

Melissa grabbed one of the headsets and placed it on her head. Looking over to the girls Melissa motioned towards the weapons.

"Safeties off ladies and make sure your rifles are fully loaded." Melissa ordered.

Both girls went over their respective weapons to ensure they were loaded and ready to fire.

Blair got on the radio and relayed John's message. Instantly armed personnel poured out of their respective vehicles and set up defensive positions.

"Okay Mel…we are ready to go." Allison looked over to Melissa.

Melissa nodded her approval and motioned then to follow her.

John was kneeling down, conversing with 4 men that had arrived from the vehicle behind his.

Melissa and the girls came walking up just as John was finishing up with orders for the men.

"You two…" John pointed to the two younger men in the group. "I need you to scout up ahead about two hundred meters along the road. Look for any signs of IUD's or any hostiles, and report back to me if you see anything. Shoot only if fired upon...Go…Now!"

"Yes Sir"

Before leaving, Melissa handed the one of the men a headset.

The man nodded thanks and turned to leave.

Using the various vehicles as cover, the two men went about carefully weaving their way north of the convoy, while surveying the road up ahead for any traps.

John looked over to the other men. "I need you two to go out about ten meters east, find some cover and keep your eyes peeled for any trouble headed our way."

"Yes sir"

Again Melissa handed the men a headset just as they went to leave.

The next two men scampered off down the incline towards cover near the road. An old tow truck rolled onto its side became their observation point.

The three girls knelt down beside John and waited for instructions. Both teen girls were eager to help out, but equally nervous about being involved in a gun fight.

Noticing that both Allison and Amanda were looking scared, John gave them a reassuring smile and motioned for them to come closer. The two girls wriggled in closer to John, followed by Melissa close behind.

"Okay… this is what I want you two girls to do. I need you to go the opposite side of the road you just saw the last two guys go to." John whispered while making sure he kept eye contact with the two teens.

"You mean go on the west side of the road." Allison replied.

"Yes…good observation Allison." John smiled.

"Allie sir…you can call me Allie." Allison blushed.

"Allie it is then." John looked up to Melissa. "Webster, I need you to go with them, make sure they are okay."

"Yes sir…Connor." Melissa replied with confidence.

Melissa handed over the last two headsets to John, he placed one on his head and kept the other as a spare.

Seconds later, the three girls bolted down the west side of the road towards a pile of rubble. Once there, they set up lookout to the north, south, and west.

Allison whispered to Melissa while looking along the horizon of dead patches of grasses, brush and sand. "How's John going to move that blockage?"

"He'll probably get one of the armored vehicles to hook up to it and drag it off to the side." Melissa replied in a matter of fact manor.

"Who put it there?" Amanda questioned while keeping a watchful eye.

"Scavengers, raiders, hill people…I'm not sure, but if you see anyone with a gun coming towards us…shoot first." Melissa emphasized the last part of her reply.

"Oh I will Mel…like hell I'm gonna let em shoot me or capture me and Amanda again." Allison gritted her teeth in determination, shouldered her rifle and peered even farther out.

Upon hearing John's orders over the radio, Derek and Kyle grabbed their weapons, jumped out of the truck they were riding in and bolted towards the front of the convoy.

Once they neared Connor's lead vehicle, they slowed down to a fast walk and kept a lookout off to the side of the road.

John was standing beside his vehicle, issuing orders over the radio when Derek and Kyle arrived.

"What's the plan Connor?" Derek asked.

John put down the mic, tossed a headset to Derek and began to explain what was happening.

"I've got Melissa and the girls to the west, two more men keeping watch to the east of the road and a couple of scouts are up ahead, north of the barricade. We need to clear the blockage, before whoever put it there comes back." John pointed in various directions as he explained to the brothers what was going on.

"So what do we need to drag this junk out of the way?" Derek pointed to the derelict Chevy tucked in between a burned out bus and a fairly large depression off to one side of the road.

"My Hummer has a winch. We'll hook up and pull the car towards the crater, that should give us enough room to get by and it shouldn't take too long." John gestured towards his ride while explaining.

"What should I do Connor?" Kyle was busy kicking dirt into a pile while listening to the conversation.

"I want you by that bus, keep well hidden and keep an eye out for the scouts or any hostiles…okay?"

"Yes Sir Connor." Kyle turned and rushed towards the bus.

"Pulling the Chevy out of the way sounds like a plan Connor…let's get on with it." Derek replied.

John looked over to Blair. "Williams…I need you to drive, are you up to it?"

"Sure Connor, where to?" Blair climbed over towards the driver's side of the truck, grunting in pain as she wiggled her way into the seat.

"You sure she's up to it Connor?" Derek shot Blair a worried look.

Blair rolled her eyes at Derek's question. "I'm fine Reese…you help Connor get that wreck hooked up to the winch and let me do the driving." Blair casually pointed towards the car.

"You heard the lady Reese." John smirked.

Derek swore under his breath and proceeded to carefully make his way towards the obstacle in the road. John followed closely behind.

"Any news from the lookouts Connor?" Derek called back as he climbed into the hole by the car.

John called into his headset microphone, paused and then answered Derek. "All is clear right now Reese, lets not piss around here…I have a bad feeling."

"Me too Connor, this is just a bit too freaky."

Blair slowly eased the Hummer around, off to the side of the road. Once she was opposite the vehicle blocking the road, John ran up, grabbed the cable for the winch and passed the hooked end to Derek.

Derek made his way across the small crater he was in, pulling the cable along until he reached the front of the Chevy. He hooked into the frame, gave it a tug to make sure it was secure, then climbed out of the hole.

"Ready when you are Williams." Derek called out and gave the thumbs up, while watching the cable.

Blair nodded, backed up the truck slowly until there was no slack in the cable and then began to give more gas in order to drag the derelict Chevy out of the way and into the crater.

Suddenly, the window just behind Blair exploded, followed half a second later by the crack of a single gunshot.

"SNIPER!" Blair screamed as she ducked down and crawled over to the passenger side of the truck.

Both Derek and John hit the dirt and rolled into the depression in front of the Chevy.

John yelled into the mic. "Talk to me people…what do you see? Where is that Sniper?"

"Smoke from a small mound northeast Sir."

"Copy that…watch for movement and report."

Seconds later, an urgent call came over the radio from the tail end of the convoy.

"Hostiles moving in from the south….they are armed with automatic weapons."

"People…you are weapons free. Hold your positions and keep me posted." John could feel the adrenalin pumping through his veins, but he remained cool while collecting his thoughts and deciding what to do next.

"What do you think Connor?" Derek asked as he checked his LR-300.

"They're trying to rattle us…see if we'll panic." John paused. "We need to hold our ground, get that wreck out of the way and show these assholes we're not running."

"Maybe I should take over from Blair and move the car." Derek added and went to leave the hole.

John put a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Wait Reese…we need to neutralize the sniper first and we don't know if there are any more out there."

Derek sat back and let out a sigh. "But Blair is pinned down in the truck."

"Williams will be fine Reese."

Another sniper round crashed into the Hummer, prompting Blair to swear out loud.

"Fuck…that sniper has armor piercing rounds."

Blood drained from Derek's face.

John noticed and against his better judgment, he nodded towards Derek to go help Blair out of the Hummer.

Derek rolled away from John and crawled up the side of the hole towards Blair.

"Williams…I'm coming up to get you…don't shoot."

"I've got my face pressed to the floor Reese, how the hell am I gonna shoot you?"

"Well….I'm just letting you know."

Blair muttered to herself as she waited for Derek to help her out of the truck.

A split second later, Derek pulled the passenger door open, leaned in, half dragged and half pulled Blair out of the truck. The momentum of his force caused him to loose balance and both tumbled onto the ground.

Blair ended up on top of Derek, straddling his midsection.

"For fucks sake Reese…that hurt!" A small tear rolled down Blair's cheek as pain shot through her shoulder.

"You landed on me Williams."

"Yeah…on your rifle…dumbass." Blair painfully struggled to roll off of Derek.

Derek lay motionless on his back, staring up at Blair with a silly grin on his face.

"What now Reese?"

"My rifle huh…"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Oh please…"

"Not now dear, maybe later." Derek chuckled.

Blair feebly smacked Derek with her free arm after she finished rolling off of him. "Let's get to a safer spot Reese."

Allison's palms were getting sweaty, especially after she heard the gunshots. Thoughts of what had happened a few nights ago, flashed before her eyes. She shook her head and tried to concentrate on empty landscape ahead of her.

"Anything yet girls?" Melissa asked.

"Nuthin yet Mel." Amanda responded.

"Allie?"

Allison squinted harder, she saw something way off in the distance. "I think I see something Mel…A guy has something big…he's putting it on his shoulder."

"What ?" Melissa sounded worried.

"It's a …fuck…RPG !" Allison yelled.

Melissa quickly got on the mic and yelled to John. "Connor, we got one RPG for sure."

She waited for a reply, nodded her head. "Understood Connor." Melissa looked over to the girls. "Aim and shoot that asshole…we don't want him launching that thing."

Allison brought up her rifle and peered through the scope. Off in the distance a rather large man was peering back at her through his scope attached to the RPG, a look of surprise came across his face as he realized he was about to get shot at.

Quickly the man repositioned his aim, gazed back into his scope and squeezed the trigger.

Almost at the same time, Allison squeezed her trigger, the recoil kicking hard into her shoulder.

Allison saw a puff of smoke as the weapon was launched. It streaked across the space between the man and girls at breakneck speed.

Allison's bullet had met its mark a split second after she fired and the man's chest burst in a spray of red as her high velocity round found its mark. Almost instantly he fell back, dropping the launcher before he hit the ground.

"Mel he launched it…I didn't hit him in time!"

"I know…" Melissa tapped her earpiece and spoke into her mic. "Connor…RPG is launched towards your Hummer…get the hell away from it!"

Allison followed the rockets path as it streaked overhead towards John's Hummer, striking it right in the middle.

Being a bit further away, all Allison and the girls could see was a massive ball of flames rise up, followed shortly after by the truck itself leaping into the air and spinning off to its side, before falling back down to earth. None of them could see where John or the others were.

A collective gasp was let out by all three girls as they watched the twisted wreckage burn.

"Blair was in the truck…Derek, Kyle and John are by it too…on my God!" Tears began to roll down Allison's face as her voice shook with emotion.

_I wasn't fast enough…I failed…oh God!_

_**Note**- Thank you to all that have read and reviewed this story! Also thanks to my beta readers for all the help!_

_Sorry if I tended to stray from John and Allison a bit, but I really like the pairing of Blair and Derek...so I decided to explore them a bit more, besides I think they make a cute couple!_

_Melissa is another fav of mine, I wanted to show a glimpse of what her past was about. I'm not sure if I'll show more of her past as it is pretty dark._

_The raid on the convoy was planned...partly a test of John's troops and his leadership and partly in retaliation...but who is behind it? Who followed them?  
_


	13. Chapter 12 Testing The Water

**Chapter 12: Testing the Water**

_I wasn't fast enough…I failed…oh God!_

Melissa tried desperately to contact John on the radio, but received nothing but static.

Both Allison and Amanda looked up to Melissa for any signs of good news. Shock, fear and dread was written all over the two girls faces as they eagerly awaited to hear anything positive from Melissa.

"Is there any answer from them Mel?" Allison asked nervously. Her face still damp from fresh tears that had trickled down her cheeks.

Melissa bit her lip and responded. "Nothing yet...but I'll keep trying. In the mean time, you two need to keep your eyes peeled for any signs of more bandits."

The two girls nodded their heads in understanding and went back to scanning the land in front of them. Both of them were still upset and were having some difficulty in keeping their minds on the task at hand, but they knew it was important for them to make sure no one got past them.

Melissa tried contacting John again. "Connor... please respond. Is everything okay?"

Again, all she heard was the crackle of static over her earpiece. Melissa was growing more frustrated by the minute as she continued to try and reach John.

Meanwhile, Allison noticed some movement far off in the distance, near to where she had killed the raider with the RPG. Quickly she brought the rifle up to her shoulder and peered through the scope to get a better look.

"Mel...I think I see someone coming." Allison called out.

"If he is heading this way and is in range, take him out Allie." Melissa responded.

"Where is he Allie?" Amanda continued to squint off into the distance, but failed to spot the lone figure making his way towards them.

"He's almost dead ahead Mandy... Right near to where I shot the other guy. I think he's after the RPG."

Amanda looked over to where the other raider had been killed and managed to see a quick flash of something metal.

"Yeah Allie...I saw something out that way. I think he's alone, but he has something shiny."

"Yeah, I saw it too. It's a guy for sure." Allison answered while squinting into the rifle scope.

Off in the distance, a man slowly made his way towards the RPG laying near the dead raider Allison had just killed. He was being careful about not being seen, but Allison's keen vision had spotted his movement as he made his slow approach to where the launcher was located.

"C'mon sucker...a little closer...let me get a good look at you." Allison whispered as she followed the lone outlaws advance forwards.

Amanda gave Allison a puzzled look. "Who are you talkin' to Allie?"

"The asshole that's gonna get punished for his buddy firing his RPG at us." Allison answered calmly.

"Sheesh...I'm glad you're on my side Allie." Amanda smiled as she looked over at her best friend. She knew Allison could be stubborn and determined sometimes, but when it came to anyone she knew and loved being hurt, there was no stopping Allison from eliciting retribution on the poor soul that dared to do harm to friends or family.

The man ducked behind an outcrop of rocks, near to where the RPG was dropped.

Allison kept a close watch on the spot where she last saw him. Despite the gunfire all around and the stress of knowing her friends and family might be hurt, Allison did her best to remain calm.

While Allison and Amanda kept watch, Melissa remained on the radio, trying to get a response from John.

"Connor...please respond." Melissa anxiously called out over the radio.

The radio was silent except for the crackle of static. Melissa's heart sank as she began to fear the worst.

"Anything yet Mel?" Amanda asked nervously as she looked over at Melissa.

Melissa frowned, shook her head and sighed. "No Mandy, nothing..."

Suddenly Melissa froze and held her hand to her ear to cover the ear piece. She tilted her head and smiled as a familiar voice called out to her on the radio.

"_Mel?...Connor here. All is fine, we are just a bit shaken up."_

"Copy that Sir." Melissa barely contained her relief as she answered back.

"Was that Connor?" Allison eagerly called out.

"Yes...he says all is fine and they were just a bit shaken by the blast." Melissa beamed.

Allison felt like a ton of weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She let out a sigh of relief and finally felt some of the tension leave her.

Still peering through the scope, Allison now settled in on taking out the new threat headed their way.

Amanda also felt relieved at the good news, but was soon distracted by the raider popping his head up from behind his shelter.

"Allie...he's on the move."

"I see him Mandy." Allison coolly responded.

The man slowly rose from behind the rocks, nervously he glanced back and forth to make sure he was clear from any danger. Unfortunately, he was unaware of Allison quickly making herself ready to fire her weapon.

She squinted into the scope and loosely placed her finger on the trigger, waiting for the man to get into range. He was about 10 meters further back from where the other had been shot. Allison wanted to wait until he made his way closer to where his buddy lay, before she made her move.

As the man crept closer, Allison relaxed and slowed her breathing, just like Derek had taught her. She also relaxed her grip on the rifle, the less tension, the better the chance of her hitting her mark.

After about a minute or so, the man made his move towards the RPG. as he quickly reached the weapon and knelt to pick it up, Allison took her moment of opportunity.

She carefully aimed the weapon at the mans chest, let out her breath calmly and quietly. As soon as she steadied the weapon on the target, she squeezed the trigger.

The rifle kicked back hard and Allison winced at the pain she now felt in her shoulder from the weapons massive recoil. The bullet easily sped its way to its target and hit the man squarely in the middle of his chest.

Allison could see the shock in his face as the bullet tore into his flesh. Seconds later, the man closed his eyes and crumpled to the ground.

"Damn Allie...nice shooting." Amanda cheered as she patted Allison on the back.

Allison dropped her rifle to her side and rubbed her shoulder. "Yeah, thanks Mandy...but this gun kicks back really hard. My shoulder hurts like hell."

"Not to worry Allison, you get used to it." Melissa spoke up. "Nice shooting, you're a real natural."

"Thanks Mel, but it was Derek that taught me how to shoot."

"Maybe so, but it also takes talent to hit a moving target while all this shit is happening around us." Melissa added. "Just make sure to keep your eyes peeled, we're not out of trouble yet."

Both girls responded with a collective 'Yes Mel' and went back to scouting their surroundings.

A few seconds later, Allison spoke up again. "Mel...can you find out if anyone was hurt, when the truck exploded? I'm still worried something might have happened."

"I'll ask Conner, once things have died down a bit. Judging by how busy the talk is on the radio, he has a lot on his plate right now. We need to stay concentrated on the task at hand." Melissa had knelt down and placed her hand on Allison's shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze as she spoke softly to the slender teen.

Allison looked back at Melissa and gave her a weak smile, but Melissa knew there was still worry in Allison's brown eyes. She smiled back in a reassuring manner, then proceeded to grab a pair of binoculars from her pack sack and scan the horizon in from of her.

...

John leaned up against the rusted carcass of and old mini van and let out a long sigh. His ears were still ringing from the explosion, everything was in a fog at the moment.

He had looked over himself to make sure he had not been injured, but only found a couple of small scratches and some tender spots from jumping to a safer spot.

Slowly he stretched his legs out in front of his self and looked around to check on Blair and Derek.

Both of them were laying a few feet away, between two abandoned vehicles. Derek looked shaken but unhurt, as he sat up an looked over at John and gave him a thumbs up sign. Blair was still on her back, but had her eyes open. She was a bit slower than Derek in getting up to a sitting position and seemed to be favoring her injured shoulder.

After Derek had given John the okay sign, he looked over to Blair and winced. From the look on her face, he could tell she was in major pain.

"Blair...are you okay?" Derek asked.

"What?" Blair shouted back. Her ears still ringing from the explosion.

Derek repeated what he said, but much louder this time.

Blair answered back rather sharply and in a loud voice as she brought her hand up to touch her sore shoulder. "No...I'm not fine. My shoulder hurts like hell."

Derek leaned in and looked deep into her eyes. "Let me take a look...okay?"

Blair nodded and let her hand drop from her shoulder.

Derek pulled back her shirt and immediately saw a red stain slowly growing on her bandage. "Your wound has re opened...I need to take of the bandage and see how bad it is."

Blair bit her bottom lip and nodded again. A stray tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away and looked down at the ground.

Derek slipped his hand under her chin and gently raised it. "I'll fix it Blair."

Blair looked up and into Derek's concerned eyes, she smiled weakly and mouthed a 'thank you'.

Derek turned to John. " Connor...do you have a med kit?"

"What?" John cupped his hand behind his ear.

Derek repeated the question, but this time yelling.

John shook his head in understanding and waved towards the trucks that had been behind his vehicle.

"Try that truck." John yelled back and pointed towards the vehicle that had been directly behind his Hummer.

Derek nodded, stood up carefully and sprinted towards the vehicle to grab the medical supplies. Carefully he dodged the miscellaneous pieces of debris left behind from the blast. Various items were still burning or smoking , including the charred remains of the Hummer.

John leaned back and shut his eyes tightly. The ringing in his ears had subsided a bit , but was still there. Everything around him was still in a bit of a haze as he tried to make sense of what had just transpired.

_Why were these raiders attacking us? Why on this road and not in the city ruins, where it would have been easier to ambush us?_

John brought his hand up to his forehead and slowly ran his fingers through his hair.

While he was deep in thought, the voice over the earpiece still in his ear barely registered.

"_Connor...please respond."_

John thought for a split second, as he shook out the cobwebs in his head then he responded. "Mel?...Connor here. All is fine, we are just a bit shaken up."

"_Copy that Sir."_

John gathered his wits and began to contact others on the radio. Soon reports came back from all along the convoy and the scouts he had sent up ahead. Most reports stated that the marauders had attacked but quickly retreated, only sporadic gunfire was now happening. For all intents and purposes, the attackers had given up and backed off.

...

As soon as Derek came back to tend to Blair, John stood up and decided to make his way towards Kyle. As he passed Blair, he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

Blair smiled back nervously as she barely contained her pain and discomfort.

Derek knelt down beside Blair, opened the med kit and began to shuffle around for the required items.

"Looks like there is nothing for pain or for numbing the wound Blair." Derek looked over to Blair with sympathetic blue eyes.

Blair sighed and gave Derek a weary look. "It's okay Reese...just do what you have to do." She gritted her teeth in anticipation, then mumbled. " At least I can hear better, the ringing in my ears stopped."

Derek slid Blair's tank top down past her wound and proceeded to remove the now blood soaked bandage.

Blair winced as he moved her arm to help get all of the old dressing from her wound.

"I'm sorry Blair...I know it hurts. I'll try to be as gentle and quick as possible." Derek gave Blair a reassuring smile.

"Just do it and get it over with before I bleed to the point of passing out." Blair hissed through clenched teeth and prepared for the worse.

Derek took a close look at the wound and pursed his lips into a thin white line.

_This doesn't look good... she's ripped open the stitches. I just hope there is no damage under the skin._

"Blair... you'll need fresh stitches_. _Your wound has opened up."

"Just Fix it Reese." Blair snapped as she grimaced in pain.

Derek nodded and cracked open a bottle of alcohol to clean the wound. He gently poured a little amount over the injured area to help sanitize and disinfect.

Blair immediately tensed up with the sharp pain and cold from the cleansing of the wound.

Tears formed in her eyes and began to run down her face.

"I'm so sorry Blair, but I have to do this." Derek apologized.

Blair quickly wiped away the tears from her cheek. "I know Reese...just hurry up."

Derek proceeded to finish cleaning the area to be stitched, threaded a needle and began to suture the wound. Despite Blair's rather loud cursing, Derek was able to complete his task in a timely manor.

Although still aching, Blair felt much better. Now that Derek was finished, she could sit back and deal with the dull, throbbing throb in her shoulder. Her appearance was that of total disarray, what with her clothes covered in dirt, blood and debris. Her hair was tangled and also filled with dirt, She didn't have a mirror, but Blair knew she must look like hell.

Blair eased herself back against an old car door behind her. Upset that they had been attacked, but glad that no one was seriously hurt, Blair secretly thanked God that everyone nearby had escaped the blast from the RPG.

"How's the shoulder feeling Blair?" Derek still had a concerned look on his face.

Blair managed to look up and give Derek a weak smile. "I'm better now Derek...thank you."

"Sorry there's no pain killers, but I did manage to clean the wound properly and it stitched up fine." Derek gave her a sympathizing look while he put away the supplies.

Blair reached out and touched Derek's shoulder with her un-bandaged arm.

Derek paused to look over at her in confusion.

"What's up Williams?"

"Just stop what yer doing for a second Reese." Blair replied with determination.

Derek dropped the med pack and leaned towards Blair. "Is everything okay Blair?"

"Everything is as fine as it can be Reese." Blair hooked her hand behind Derek's neck and pulled him closer. "I just need to properly thank you."

To Derek's surprise, Blair leaned forward and softly pressed her lips to his.

Both of them closed their eyes as they got lost in a moment of calm bliss.

Despite the carnage surrounding them, they remained in their moment as the kiss between them deepened.

Finally Blair broke the kiss and looked into Derek's eyes. She smiled at him warmly and then looked away, a hint of embarrassment glowed on her cheeks.

Derek was equally taken aback from the warm kiss, he was left speechless and remained staring over at Blair , with a silly grin on his face.

Blair looked back and then hardened her gaze. " Hey Reese...Shouldn't you be off doin' something?"

Derek cleared his throat and shot back. "I swear yer just like a cat. One second yer all warm and cuddly, the next you got your claws out and yer taking a swipe."

"Some ones gotta keep you on your toes." Blair smirked.

Derek angrily stuffed the rest of the gear into the back pack, stood up and glared at Blair before he went back to the vehicle.

Blair kept smiling while she watched him storm off in a huff. _He's such sweetheart... but so easy to tease._

"Nice ass Reese!" Blair yelled out.

Derek quickly looked around and then looked back, his face red from embarrassment.

"WILLIAMS" Reese bellows and throws his hands up in frustration

Blair smiled sweetly and waved back. Despite the pain, she was feeling much better.

...

John made his way towards Kyle. Again, he was thinking about the raid and why it had happened. To him , it was as if some one had been planning it.

_They must have seen us drive in and then set up to ambush us when we came back._

Seconds later, John was at the bus that Kyle had used as a look out. he was on top of the roof, but was laying prone so as to provide the smallest target possible.

"Kyle...you see anything happening off in the distance?"

"Nuthin' Connor... seems they all took off. They even left the dead behind, with weapons." Kyle called back while stretched out on top of the bus, his eyes pressed into the pair of army issue binoculars.

John thought for a second, then called into his mic. "This is Connor...have all the hostiles dropped back? Do a visual search of your immediate areas, all teams send me a report ASAP."

One by one , the others reported back. All the answers were the same, none of the raiders alive were fighting. Most of the dead raiders were left where they fell.

John gave the order to have teams go out and fan around the perimeter to check for any living fighters to interrogate, and to gather any weapons left behind.

While he waited for reports to come back, John sat down beside the bus and took out his canteen to quench his thirst. The water was cool and tasted refreshing, it helped John clear his mind and focus on getting answers and getting back to Crystal Peak before dark.

...

Melissa nodded her head and responded to John's request. She turned towards the girls and spoke.

"Okay ladies... we got the order to fan out and check further out for any weapons to gather and to see if any live raiders are left behind to interrogate."

Both girls put down their weapons and looked up in puzzlement. Allison was the first to answer back.

"Mel? we aren't really trained for that. Mostly we were trained as look outs."

"Yeah Mel...we've never done any real scouting around." Amanda added.

"That's what I'm here for ladies. Just remember the most important thing is to keep aware of your surroundings and keep your eyes peeled for any problems." Melissa made sure she made eye contact with both girls while she spoke.

The Three went about collecting their gear they had with them and proceeded to scout out the area directly in front of them. As Connor had instructed, they advanced further out to collect anything of use, weapons, ammunition, food, clothing, and any containers used to hold water. Since nothing was being manufactured any more, any item found was important. Bottles, back packs, dried goods, paper, even clothing would be salvaged.

If they came across any breathing raiders, they were to let Connor know and wait for instructions. Usually that meant they were to interrogate the injured person, to find out who was behind the raid, why they had ambushed the convoy, and where the attackers had come from.

Minutes later, the three girls came across the two men that Allison had shot. Both men were dead and after checking the bodies for any clues they might give away, the girls left empty handed.

"I can't believe they had nothing personal on them...like absolutely nothing. Its not normal." Melissa was visibly upset, as well as her tone of voice gave away her frustration.

"Well it was kinda gross to go through their pockets Mel. I mean the blood and stuff made me gag and almost barf." Amanda added while she curled her nose in disgust.

Both younger girls had seen death, but it was usually bodies left to rot out in the open and they almost never ventured close to the dead.

Seeing freshly killed corpses was something new and disturbing to the two adolescents.

More upsetting was the way they had to search the bodies for anything of value and any hint of who they were and who had sent them.

"Well at least they don't smell bad and the flies haven't found them yet." Allison remarked while she squatted down to pick up the weapons laying beside the bodies.

"Hmmm...what's weird too... all they had were canteens of water, no food. It's like they knew when we were coming." Melissa mused.

Allison stood up to look out towards the horizon. Not a soul could be seen and the tracks left in the dirt indicated there may have been more than these two men, but they had left a long time ago. In her mind, it seemed like the marauders had not been keen on getting shot, so when these two were killed, the others fled.

"It's as if they were ghosts." Allison whispered.

"Ghosts?" Melissa lifted her eyebrow in question.

Allison turned towards Melissa. "Yeah ghosts...just some footprints, no tire tracks, no dust kicked up...they just disappeared into thin air, like ghosts."

Melissa smiled. "Ohhh they left behind some clues Allie, you just need to get better at looking for the tell tale signs."

Allison gave Melissa a puzzled look.

Melissa pointed towards a small shrub. "See there? It's a trail...others were a little further back, ready to pounce. I'm sure when you shot their buddies, the others got smart and ran."

"Huh...yer right Mel. I can see it there. Seems like they stayed way back." Allison walked a few steps in the direction of the bush to get a better look.

Amanda was getting nervous, she didn't like it out in the open, unprotected. "Ummm...Mel? shouldn't we be getting back to the trucks soon?"

Melissa looked around, then spoke. "Yeah...but first we need to go north a bit and then circle back towards the convoy...okay?"

"Well I guess so, but this is starting to freak me out." Amanda was not pleased, but she knew they had a job to do. It would be no good if they didn't check out their area properly by doing a full sweep. Missing any clues, items or worse yet more attackers, could put the whole convoy at risk.

"You get sorta use to it Mandy...your skin gets a little thicker and you learn to ignore some of the stuff you see." Melissa casually remarked as she gazed off to the north.

Inwardly, she knew, no one ever gets used to death, they just deal with it better as time goes on.

Allison broke out into a sweat as she struggled with the newly gathered weapons. She tried to sling as many items onto her shoulders as she could carry, but the newly added weight prevented her from getting up from her kneeling position. Looking over at the other two girls, Allison frowned.

"Hey... A little help here guys. This shit is heavy ya know!"

Melissa looked back and grinned. Seeing little Allison straining under the extreme weight and bulk of her newly acquired items was a comical sight. Melissa guessed Allison weighed no more than about 90 lbs, but the items she had flung onto her back were probably close to the teens weight. Allison was struggling to raise herself up from the ground, but was failing miserably.

Amanda ran up to help, but instead of lightening the load, she grabbed onto Allison's arms from the front to help lift her. The result was both girls ended up tumbling over, with Amanda landing backwards, pulling Allison down with her. A grunt escaped Amanda as she had the wind knocked out of her by Allison firmly planting herself on top. Arms, legs, weapons and backpacks were tangled and splayed in every direction.

Melissa had a good laugh. "You two are quite the pair."

"Ummm...Mel...I think we're stuck here." Allison's voice called out as she struggled to free herself.

"Shit Allie...yer knee is in my crotch.."

"Well I'm trying to move.."

"Owwww...Allie..."

"Mel?...Help!" Both girls called out simultaneously.

Melissa strode up to the muddled pair, she had a twisted grin on her face as she crossed her arms and viewed the trapped teens.

"I see we have a lot more training to do ladies!"

...

Off in the distance, hidden by an outcrop of rocks, a lone figure stood observing the three females. Although it was a warm day, he remained fully covered up in a desert type camouflaged military uniform. Even his head was hidden by a tan colored hood tightly pulled around his face, giving him the look of a Reaper.

His facial features could not be seen, but from inside the figures hood, a pair of unblinking optical sensors glowed a bright red.

As his sensors focused on in on the girls, data began to display on the machines HUD.

**Identify: 3 human females**

**Proximity: 213.4 meters**

**Threat Assessment: Minimal**

**Weapons Assessment: one M203, one RPG, one M19 grenade launcher, two M40 sniper rifles, Three M4 infantry weapons. Miscellaneous small arms and grenades also possessed by humans. Weapons threat level high.**

**Actions: Observe and gather information on human troop movements.**

The machine remained still, only its glowing orbs moved as they followed the girls dust themselves off and continue on their patrol.

...

It had been an hour since the last shots had been fired by either side.

John had been pacing back and forth near the bus as he waited for everyone to report back. He wanted to get the full picture as to what had happened and then decide what he should do. He knew they would be sitting ducks if they remained where they were for the night, but he also knew that leaving quickly could also bring them trouble, especially if the marauders had set up an ambush further up the road.

First and foremost , John wanted to make sure everyone in the convoy was okay, then he needed to assess the damage to his convoy and re distribute people and supplies in order to make up for any lost vehicles besides his Hummer. Finally he wanted the search parties to gather as much items they found as they could, supplies were precious and could mean the difference between dying and living to fight another day.

Thankfully the reports began to flow in from the various search parties and John inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Fatigue was beginning to get to John, as he had been on edge ever since they had left Hammerhead. The constant worry about getting everyone back home safe, had been multiplied by the attack and his narrow escape from being blown apart by the Truck explosion.

John took a deep breath and began transmitting to the scout teams.

"Everyone...I want all search parties to wrap things up ASAP. We need to get going before daylight runs out."

One by one, the scouting teams responded. The general consensus was that the marauders had given up and retreated, leaving their dead and supplies behind.

This was good news to John, anything gathered up would be put to good use.

Weapons, food, clothing and any other miscellaneous items that could be accumulated, would be helpful in re stocking the dwindling items stored at Crystal Peak.

The destroyed Hummer was a huge loss for John, running vehicles were hard to find and even harder to maintain. At least his teams had managed to collect vehicles from the raid and rescue of the girls in Santa Clarita, even if some had remained at Hammerhead, it was still a bonus to have acquired running vehicles.

Voices over the intercom indicated that all scout parties were finished their respective sweeps and were now heading back to the convoy to resume the trip back home.

John stood up and brushed the dust off his pants.

"Kyle...Time to go." John barked out.

"Yes Sir Connor." Kyle responded while he packed up the binoculars and made his way off of the overturned bus carcass.

John called over another large truck to help remove the burned shell of his former command vehicle and the other car they failed to get out of the way before all hell had broken out. Within minutes, the rusted remains of the Chevy and the twisted Hummer were dragged out of the way.

Feeling a bit more wary of advancing as a group, John decided to send forth two vehicles to act as scouts. If anything or anyone else was waiting for the convoy, at least the scout vehicles would be able to give them some sort of heads up to any trouble ahead. His new command vehicle, another military issue Hummer, would remain back, but still lead the bulk of the convoy back to home.

Derek moved Blair into a larger transport truck, so she could lay back and rest easier, especially since she had sustained further aggravation to her injuries. He also chose to remain with her.

That left John, Allison, Melissa, Amanda and Kyle to all travel in the newly acquired command vehicle. Amanda rode beside John in the front, while Kyle remained sandwiched between Amanda and Allison in the rear seat.

The ride back to Crystal Peak was slow. Tension from the earlier skirmish still hung in the air and in the minds of everyone traveling. No one said a word for the first hour of the ride back to the resistance base.

Bored to death, Kyle and Amanda slowly succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep, but not before Amanda managed to snuggle closer to Kyle and lay her head on his shoulder.

Breaking the uneasy silence, Allison spoke first. "So...when do we get there?"

John looked back at Allison and then over to Melissa. "I don't know about you, but this strangely reminds me of roads trips I took with my Mom."

Melissa smiled at John and nodded in agreement. "Yeah...Are We there yet?"

Allison gave them both a puzzled look. "So...are we there yet?"

John and Melissa chuckled out loud.

Visibly irritated at being ignored, Allison repeated her question.

"Hello...Are we there yet?"

"Now don't get your panties in a knot..we'll be there soon enough." John answered.

"Panties?" Allison's face went blank.

Melissa laughed. "Don't tell me you are going commando."

"Commando?... what are you talkin' about?"

"Ohh... I am so not saying anything now." John cut in. "Mel... you'll need to bring her up to speed on your own time."

Melissa gave John a sideways glance, then proceeded to try and explain things to Allison.

"Umm...Allie, panties are underwear. You know?"

John sighed and shook his head.

_Girl talk!_

"No, not Really." Allison paused for a second. "I mean, we already are wearing pants...right?"

Melissa smirked.

John brought a hand to his face in a mock effort to try to stave off an impending headache. _This is going to become a long ride back._

_...  
_

Shortly after the convoy had left, a small group of men made their way up to the outcrop of rocks. There they met up with a lone figure, the same figure that had kept a vigilant watch on what had occurred during the attack on the convoy.

A cold wind has whipped up, bringing a chill to the small group that gathered around the machine.

The machine turned to gaze at the first man in the group, the appointed leader. "Report" it demanded in a synthetic sounding male voice.

The head Grey nervously looked around at his comrades, then back up into the unblinking red eyes of the machine. "We met with heavy resistance. This group is more organized... not like the others we have encountered." the man nervously swallowed, then continued. "We encountered well armed individuals and suffered heavy losses. I hope it was worth it."

The machine stood still, almost pondering what the man had said. This was a test by Skynet to see how well the resistance was organized. Skynet knew using machines would have provided the resistance with early warnings of Skynet being active again. Skynet wanted to remain hidden until it is ready to wipe out the resistance.

The element of surprise was key to Skynet securing victory, the Greys were expendable.

"So we had to sacrifice ourselves just to see if they could fight?" The leader was getting frustrated at the machine just standing and not responding to him.

The machine took a menacing step towards the leader of the group. Fearful of being thrown or terminated, the lead Grey took a step back, cowering in the dark shadow cast by the machines form.

"You will be rewarded for your loyalty." The machine replied in a stoic manner. "Proceed to the rendezvous point for evac back to base."

The lead Grey grunted his disapproval, but said nothing directly at the machine. He knew the machines did not tolerate insubordination and so he wisely kept his mouth shut. Outright disobedience would result in immediate termination by the machine.

Slowly the leader and his group turned from the machine and made their way northeast towards the gathering point.

The machine remained standing in its spot, waiting until the Greys were out of sight, then the machine attempted to contact Skynet.

"This is unit 800-4239 reporting."

"_Ready to receive transmission 800-4239." _A voice answered back.

The machine proceeded to transmit wirelessly, all information and data gathered during the attack on the convoy was sent back to Skynet.

"_Information received 800-4239...standby for further orders."_

The machine remained still, while it downloaded new orders from its master. In a manner of seconds, Skynet sifted through the data and came up with new strategies.

The new orders for the machine would have it follow the convoy in order to gather information on the resistance base whereabouts, but remain hidden from any human resistance contact. The machine was also to monitor all radio transmissions for resistance troop movements, as well as to seek out any coded transmissions from the Skynet infiltrator within the resistance. Stealth would remain Skynets top priority.

"Information and new orders received and understood. 800-4239 will continue to follow the resistance convoy and attempt contact with resistance infiltrator." The machine responded to the orders, cut transmission and proceeded to prepare for the long trek. Travel would be done by foot, so as to draw the least amount of attention to itself and enable the machine to sneak closer to the resistance camp without detection. Information gathered from the infiltrator would enable Skynet to find the most efficient way to destroy the resistance and turn the tide back into Skynets favor.

...

**Authors Note-**

Been a while, but finally done. This was going to be longer, but I decided to trim it up and post it at around 6k words.

Thanks to The1Russter for his help with the chapter!

Commando- for those unaware of how the term was used... it means no underwear!

Thanks for reading the story!

Any problems, please PM me.

Moe


	14. Chapter 13: Arrival

**Chapter 13: Arrival**

The sun was already setting behind the Sierra Nevada mountain range when the convoy finally pulled up to its destination, Crystal Peak.

John called out over the radio for everyone to ensure all supplies were unloaded off the vehicles, entered into inventory logs and properly stored. He also added that any new people from either Hammerhead or Santa Clarita, were to gather at the main entrance to military bunker.

Curious lookers had gathered outside of the bunker entrance from the civilian camp and from inside Crystal Peak. Word had spread like wildfire throughout the resistance that Connor had arrived with supplies, recruits and rescued prisoners.

Among the people in the crowd was an impatient Kate Connor, eager to see her husband back safe and sound from his mission. She always hated it when John went off on a raid or supply run, it worried her to no end when he put himself into danger. Kayla was not with her, it was late and she was already soundly sleeping in their quarters with a babysitter close by so Kate could come out and greet her husband.

It had only been a few days, but it seemed like an eternity since she had been with John. She knew the importance of John's leadership, but it frustrated her to no end to have him leave her so often. Sometimes she wished they had just remained by themselves, off in some remote cabin, away from any person or machine. Sure it was selfish of her to think that way, but after all the years of fighting Skynet, the pressure of leadership was beginning to strain their relationship. Not only was she worried about John, but also Kayla.

Kate had seen too many single parents and orphaned children to not be affected by them. So much loss, pain and suffering had been endured by people, it was time to rebuild. She hoped that Skynet had been dealt the death blow when John and Marcus blew up Skynet Central in San Francisco, but she had a nagging feeling that John's nemesis had survived.

She stood on tippy toes and craned her neck to try and catch a glimpse of her husband in the convoy. Usually he was at or near the front, but most vehicles had emptied out before she made her way to the front of the crown gathered. Frustrated at not seeing him, she cursed at not being informed about the convoy arrival at an earlier time.

Barnes sauntered up beside Kate.

"Kate...any sign of Conner yet?"

"No" Kate snapped back, her frustration barely veiled as she scoured the crowds.

"Well he did bark some orders over the radio, so he must be nearby. You know how Connor likes to get everything settled in before he takes a break."

Kate looked up to Barnes and gave him a smirk. "Yeah... I know he likes to make sure everything goes smoothly and he always has to be in the thick of things..." She paused for a moment, her face sinking into a mask of thought, then she continued. "I just miss him and want to make sure he is okay."

Barnes looks down at Kate, puts his arm around her shoulder and gives her a brotherly squeeze. "He'll be looking for you shortly...he always does Kate."

...

Allison awoke with a start and sat up to look at her surroundings. The convoy was now stopped on a makeshift dirt parking lot beside a looming mountainside, a crowd of people were gathering around the vehicles. To her left was a huge entranceway with thick doors swung open, it was big enough to have any one of the large trucks drive in with ease and room to spare. To her right was the edge of the parking lot with a gradual slope down to the valley floor about three hundred meters below. It was steep enough to make it awkward to climb, but not impossible.

Allison snapped her head forwards as John called out orders over the radio.

"Are we here now?" Allison quietly asked.

Melissa looked back and smiled. "Why yes we are Allison...finally!"

"Thank God..." Allison sighed, then looked over to a still sleeping Kyle and Amanda, her head still resting on his shoulder. Allison gazed at the peaceful looking couple and smirked. Feeling a bit mischievous, She decided to wake both up. "HEY...lovebirds! We're here now."

The sleepy couple woke up with a start, Amanda's face turning a shade of red when she realized she had been resting her noggin on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle blinked, looked around, then smiled when he remembered who he was sandwiched between.

"Ladies" Kyle lazily drawled.

Allison rolled her eyes. "Please Kyle...don't be such a dork."

Amanda giggled

Kyle yawned, smiled, stretched his arms above his head and attempted to nonchalantly wrap them behind each of the girls' shoulders.

"If you want to keep your arm, I suggest you keep it to yourself Kyle." Allison quipped.

"Gee... can't a brother give his sister a hug?" Kyle responded with a sheepish grin.

"Not just me, but maybe Amanda would prefer you kept your paws off of her too." Allison lifted her brow.

"Ohhh...no, I got no problem Allie." Amanda blushed. "He makes a good pillow."

Kyle's smile grew and it seemed to Allison that his chest might have puffed out a bit further, upon hearing Amanda's comment.

"Yeah...well he is soft and good to toss around in a fight." Allison added with a sheepish grin.

"Hey..."

"Hey nuthin...it's the truth." Allison playfully punched Kyle on the shoulder.

Amanda giggled, but quickly looked away when Kyle's eyes met hers.

Rubbing his newly injured shoulder, Kyle glared back at Allison. "Hey smartass...how's about getting out so I can get some fresh air...It's gettin' stuffy in here."

John and Melissa had been busy going over some paperwork and giving out orders over the radio, but the conversation behind them did manage to catch their attention. Both of them stopped for a moment to listen in on the teen drama unfolding in the back seat.

"Awww...poor baby, you wanna run away from us bad girls? Yer panties in a knot?"

"Shut up Allie..."

"Make me."

"Allie...don't be so mean to your brother."

Melissa looked over to John and burst out laughing.

The three in the back seat momentarily stopped their bickering and glanced frontwards.

Kyle spoke up first.

"What's so funny ?"

Melissa turned around to face the three in the back seat. She looked directly at Allison first, then spoke.

"Allison...Kyle...Amanda! You three need to tone things down. Get out of the truck and gather up the cargo in the back. Once it's outside, we'll decide what you will be doing next."

Melissa's orders were met with mumbled words of outrage and finger pointing, to which Melissa calmly reminded them to do what they were told or face a wrath worse than death.

Melissa turned back to face forwards, just in time to catch a grinning John.

"What?"

"I think I'll start calling you Lord Vader." John chuckled.

"What's a Lord Vader?" A female voice called out form the back seat.

Melissa tilted her head upwards in mock frustration. "Never mind...get cracking at unloading, before I start cracking skulls." Then she looked back at a smiling John. "Lord Vader huh..."

"I couldn't resist it Webster, you can be quite bossy sometimes..."

"But Lord Vader? Why not something like Zena or Wonder Woman?" Melissa barely contained her sheepish grin.

"I know who Wonder Woman is..." Kyle responded, but was quickly cut off by Melissa.

"I am Wonder Woman to you and if you don't want o feel my wrath, I suggest you get cracking at unloading the truck."

Kyle said nothing back, but instead sat back and sulked for a moment, before getting out of the vehicle with the girls.

Both Allison and Amanda puzzled over the new names Melissa had come up with, as they made ready to leave the vehicle.

"How does she get these names?"

"Hell if I know...it's kinda freaky."

John responded to a few more radio transmissions before switching off the ignition and turning to Melissa.

"You rule with the iron fist...wrapped in velvet gloves my dear."

Melissa smiled crookedly at John before responding. "And you Connor, you lead with a passion that comes deep from your heart. Without you, we would have never made it this far."

"There are days when I wonder how I manage to do it Webster." John sighed.

Melissa looked over into the crowd, smiled, then spoke. "I can see one of the reasons behind your success."

"Huh?"

"Look over towards the front of the crowd."

John squinted, at first not seeing what Melissa was talking about, then his face softened. "Kate" He whispered quietly.

"Get going Connor, I can handle the clean up here." Melissa nudged John.

John winked at Melissa. "Thanks Webster... Just don't be too hard on the newbies, especially the girls."

Melissa smirked and gave John a shove towards the door. "Never mind me, you go to your woman...You've been neglecting her too long."

John slammed the door shut, shouldered his rifle and made his way towards an unaware Kate. She was busy looking further down the line of vehicles and failed to notice her husband slowly making his way to her.

Barnes saw John right away, waved and touched Kate's shoulder, pointing her puzzled gaze in the right direction.

Kate's face instantly lit up with joy and relief. "John" She mouthed as a tear slowly slipped down her cheek.

John smiled back and quickened his pace.

Kate burst into a full run towards John, eager to wrap her arms around her love.

John dropped his gear just in time to wrap his arms around Kate and spin her around as they both locked lips in a deep passionate kiss. He finally put her down, but kept his mouth pressed to hers. Reluctantly they finally broke their embrace.

"You look like crap John." Kate noticed the bruising and scratches on John's face, not to mention the stress etched into his features. She brought her hand up to his face and gently stroked his cheek.

John smiled. "I feel like crap, but we did good Kate... we managed to gather more supplies, recruits and survivors." His eyes sparkled as he looked deep into Kate's eyes.

"That's good news John. Any casualties?"

John sighed. "There always are... Blair was hit in the shoulder, but she got quick medical attention and seems to be mending okay, no infection as far as I know."

Kate pressed her lips in worry. "I should go check on her..."

"No need sweetheart, she is fine. Derek is taking care of her"

"Derek?"

"I'll explain later hun, when we have some alone time." John slid his hand along Kate's cheek.

"Well I'll still want to take a look at her in a bit." Kate whispered as she nuzzled closer to John.

John smirked. "What about me? Am I chopped liver now?"

Kate stood back and slapped John's shoulder. "Don't be such a baby, you got scratches and she got shot."

"Maybe so, but I am suffering."

"Suffering?"

"Yeah... I need lots of TLC."

"I'll give you more TLC than you can handle...later...after I see Blair."

With her last comment, Kate gave John an impish grin, pushed past him and headed off towards where he had come from to find Blair.

Barnes chuckled. "Connor... looks like yer woman has her own priorities."

"Tell me about it." John grinned. "You know she always has to check on the sick and wounded."

John slapped Barnes on the shoulder. "C'mon...let's go grab a drink...a strong one."

Barnes lifted an eyebrow. "Strong?... I think we got us some vintage home brew stashed away."

"Vintage?" John lifted an eyebrow as he gathered his items from the ground.

"Yeah...two weeks!"

Both men laughed out loud as they slipped through the crown and headed for the bunker.

...

Allison had been helping Kyle lift out some heavy boxes, when she noticed John walking towards a stunning looking woman with fiery red hair. The slender woman had just seen John and immediately rushed into his arms.

"Who's the girl with John?" Allison poked Kyle as she asked.

Kyle looked over towards where she was looking, immediately he noticed Connor and his wife Kate locked in a loving embrace, then he replied in a matter of fact manner. "That's Connors wife...Kate."

Allison bit the bottom of her lip and sighed. "She's pretty."

"Pretty?...she's hot and is smart too..."

"Really?" Allison cut in, curiosity cutting in after her initial shock of seeing John with the redheaded beauty.

"Yeah, she is also a medic... well...a doctor really."

"Wow" Allison paused to gaze at the couple, her eyes welled up a bit with moisture, a hint of jealousy began to course through her veins. She really liked John, he had saved her life and managed to reunite her with both Derek and Kyle.

Kyle noticed something was up with Allison. "What's with you Allie."

"Nuthin" Allison snapped.

At that moment Amanda returned from dropping off items in one of the storage units. Seeing the look on Allison's face and glancing over to what she was looking at, it wasn't hard for Amanda to put two and two together.

"Allison likes John."

"Mandy!" Allison gave Amanda a dirty look.

"Well I like John too...he's a good guy." Kyle added.

Both girls glared at Kyle.

"Not that kind of 'like'... stupid." Amanda stepped closer to Kyle, a tiny smile formed on her lips as she came uncomfortably close to Kyle.

"Ohhh... that kind of 'like'." Kyle swallowed nervously and pretended to get busy with reaching for a bag of clothes.

"Maybe we can go for a walk later and you can show me the camp Kyle." Amanda cooed as she leaned even closer and batted her baby blues.

"No time for tours tonight ladies." A familiar female voice called out form a short distance.

Melissa had been watching the three teens the past couple of minutes. She had immediately noticed Allison's infatuation with John from the first time she had met Allison, she chalked it up to a schoolgirl type of crush and gave it no further thought beyond getting Allie's mind off of John and back to clearing away the supplies.

"Chop Chop...Let's snap to it, I don't want to be up all night making sure you guys get things put away!" Melissa clapped her hands to get her point across.

Her orders were met with silent grumblings from the three teens, but they did step up their pace.

Melissa leaned back against the truck, hoping the work would be done soon and she could get the girls settled into Crystal Peak. She glanced around and noticed Kate walking up towards her spot.

"Hi Mel" Kate cheerfully chirped.

"Hi yourself Kate!" Melissa called back. "You're in a good mood."

"Yep... got my sweetheart back safe and sound...well except for a few scratches."

Melissa got serious. "We did some good this time around Kate. We managed to save a lot of people from misery and gained some new allies..." Melissa swept her hand towards Allison and Amanda...and some new recruits."

Kate looked over at the two girls. "They look like they went through hell Mel."

"I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow, but for now I'm glad we got to them in time."

"Slave trading?"

"Yep...and they saw a lot of friends die, all due to some asshole raiders attacking their camp."

"That's a shame...Just because Skynet is not showing its ugly face, people gotta go and pick on the weaker ones...and all for personal gain. It sickens me Mel."

Melissa paused for a second, her mind wandering to the time she had been caught and held captive by a group of marauders. Flashes of violence and suffering momentarily threatened to cause her to break down, but she kept a brave face. "I know how they must have felt Kate." She whispered.

Melissa lowered her head.

Kate placed her hand onto Melissa's shoulder to comfort her. "They're in a safer place now Mel...we'll take good care of them."

Melissa smiled weakly. "Well there is some more good news."

"Ohh?"

"Kyle knows Allison from before he joined us with Star. She is like his sister or something like that, and we also found his brother Derek too."

"Wow, that's wonderful news Mel..."

"No...that's not all..."

"Ohh do tell!" Kate eagerly settled in beside Melissa to hear about the discovery of Derek near Hammerhead, the hunt for Allison and the others, the raid on the slave camp and finally the battle on the way home.

"Holy crap Mel, you guys really had quite the adventure out there." Kate was visibly blown away by Melissa's story.

"That's not all Kate." Melissa beamed as she leaned in closer to explain.

"What is it?" Kate whispered back, a smile growing from ear to ear.

"Derek and Blair kinda hooked up..." Melissa looked around so as to make sure no one else was listening, then whispered some more. "...They kissed too."

Kate's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "No way Mel.."

"Yesss...it's all true...He's the one that patched her up again when we got raided on the road..." Melissa paused to check for eavesdroppers, then continued. "He rode with her the rest of the way back to here."

"Ohh my God...I never thought I'd see the day she let the ice melt from around her heart."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it."

"About what?" A young female voice called out.

Melissa turned to see Allison walking up with Kyle and Amanda in tow.

Quick to change the subject, Melissa spoke up. "Ahh ladies... I have someone you need to meet."

Kate quickly stepped forward and spoke up. "Hi...My name is Kate Connor, John's wife."

Both girls responded with shy smiles and muted greetings.

Melissa, sensing a bit of awkwardness, cut in. "Kate...the girl with the blond hair is Amanda and her friend beside her is Allison."

Kate held out her hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you two."

Both girls took turns shaking Kate's outstretched palm and quietly responded in kind. The slender brunette, Allison, looked up into Kate's eyes as she took hold of her hand in greeting. It was as if she was trying to read the older woman's mind, by either touch or through her intense stare.

"You look really pretty Mrs Connor..." Allison paused for a second to draw in a breath, her eyes widening as she seemed to sense something about Kate. "...And you smell really nice too!"

Kate laughed and leaned in to place her hands on the girl's slim shoulders. "It's probably the shampoo I used...we came across a supply of it a while back."

Allison frowned. "Been a while since we had shampoo or good smelling soap."

"Well then, we have a treat for you ladies then..."

"A treat?" Both girls developed a lost look at Kate's statement.

Kate glanced over at Melissa. "You didn't tell them about the showers?"

Feeling left out of the loop, Kyle spoke up. "We've been too busy to talk about silly things!"

His comment remained ignored by the girls.

"Never crossed my mind. We've been caught up in so much crap these past few days." Melissa had completely forgotten to tell the girls about the creature comforts at the base, one of them being running water, both hot and cold. Running water was something extremely rare, if not impossible to find in the post Judgement Day world, never mind hot running water!

Melissa and Kate went on to explain to the girls about the showers and how they would be able to use them, once everything was settled in. Melissa also added that the girls would be bunking with her and Blair, seeing as the older women had volunteered to take both girls under their care. The girls, visibly excited, were eager to finish off their duties and rush off to experience a thorough cleansing in a real shower. Neither girl remembered what it was like to have a normal bath or shower, for they were too young to recall those times. To them, this would be something new and exhilarating, they were eager to experience having a shower right away.

Kyle stood dumbfounded. He had been totally left out of the conversation, almost like he didn't even exist. "Am I invisible?" He wondered out loud.

Amanda winked at Kyle and whispered. "You're cute when you get frustrated." Then she turned eagerly towards Allison. "Let's hurry up and finish Allie!"

Both girls bolted back to the vehicles.

Kyle smiled shyly, turned a few shades of red and walked back at a slower pace towards the trucks to finish shuffling supplies inside the bunker.

As the two girls rushed off to finish helping, Kate leaned back against the truck and smiled. "I'm glad you and Blair are helping with the Amanda and Allison, they seem like really good girls..."

"They are Kate..." Melissa cut in. "Allison has excellent skills and aim, when it comes to rifles. Her friend Amanda is almost as capable, and with a little training, both can become really good fighters in the resistance."

Kate sighed. "They are so young though."

"Yeah...most are Kate, but we need all the help we can get."

"I know, but still..."

"They should be worried about boys and about girl stuff, not war?" Melissa tilted her head.

"Yeah...girl stuff..." Kate smiled dreamily as she thought back to simpler times.

Melissa sighed in agreement.

Just at that moment, Blair and Derek strolled up from further back in the line of vehicles. Melissa noticed the couple first.

"Hey you two...we were getting ready to send out a search party for you."

Blair called back with a sharp response. "Yeah well nurse Derek here was pressing me to get takin' in on a stretcher... Naturally I refused."

"I'll be wanting to take a close look at you shortly Ms Williams." Kate shot back with her most professional sounding voice.

Blair waver her hand in a dismissive manor. "Yeah yeah...I know. I'll meet you in the med room shortly hun. But first I want you to meet my saviour, Derek."

Derek turned a couple of shades red and shot Blair a puzzled look.

Kate smiled, glanced over to Melissa and whispered under her breath. "Wow...he's cute!"

"I know" Melissa answered with a knowing grin.

"The names Derek...Reese." Derek nervously cleared his throat as he introduced himself.

"Reese? As in Kyle's brother?" Kate inquired.

Derek grinned as he held his hand out to shake Kate's. "Yep...Kyle's big brother...and you are?"

"Kate...Connor...John's wife." Kate smiled sweetly as she grasped Derek's hand and shook it.

"Pleased to meet you Kate..."

"The pleasure is all mine, especially when you took such good care of Blair." Kate locked her eyes with Derek's, then nodded towards Blair.

Kate noticed right away how much Derek looked like family, well John's side of the family. Piercing eyes, with a hard, but kind face, just like Kyle and John. She also noticed how Blair kept looking at Derek, It reminded her of how a schoolgirl would look at her first crush. Kate couldn't help but smile at the good fortune of the mission saving people and finding another member of John Connor's family. She was also happy to see Blair finally opening up and letting someone past her walled up emotions.

_I must ask Melissa how Blair managed to fall so fast for Derek. _

Kate made a mental note to swing by to see Melissa and get the details about Blair and Derek.

Blair decided to break the awkward silence. "So...do I get to sleep in my own room or do I have to go to the infirmary?"

"Depends on how the shoulder feels my dear." Kate cut in while moving in close to inspect Blair's bandages. "No bleeding? No sharp pain?"

Blair flinched in pain as Kate prodded with her fingers. "No" she hissed "Only sharp pain is the one standing beside me."

"Hey" Derek gave Blair a hurt look.

Blair winked at Derek. "Only teasing you Reese...keepin' ya on yer toes."

Derek sighed, then spoke up. "Look...I'm going to get mine and your stuff Blair. I'll need someone to let me know where everything goes."

"No problem Reese, I'll get your little bro to help you get settled in and show you where to put Blair's stuff." Melissa added.

Melissa and Derek said their goodbyes and strode off to meet up with Kyle and the others.

Kate eyed Blair closely, as she tried to figure out just how and why she had changed to drastically in the past few days.

"Soooo...Blair... What's up with you and big brother Reese?" Kate teased.

"I dunno..." Blair responded dreamily. "...He's so sweet. You know he's been taking care of Allison and even her friend Amanda, both are not even related to him."

"I met the girls, they seemed nice."

"They are Kate, but they have been through some bad shit..."

"Yeah...Mel hinted at that. We'll need to talk about things later, after you guys are settled back into camp." Kate put her arm around Blair's waist and helped he walk back towards the main entrance to the base.

"I rested in the truck, but it'll be nice to get into a real bed. I'm really wiped out Kate." Blair leaned into Kate for support and Kate gave Blair an extra squeeze.

"I'll get you mended in no time...then you can pounce on that cutie Derek."

Both women laughed out loud at Kate's comment.

Blair gave Kate a devilish grin. "Oh I've got plans for him."

"Mmmm...I bet you do!" Kate shot back.

Both women nodded to the security at the entrance, as they approached the doorway. Dogs were also stationed to help in screening out any potential Terminators that may still be lurking. John had been adamant about ensuring canines were used at all entrances and throughout the camp. It was one of many precautions he used to ensure the safety of everyone at Crystal Peak. No matter who it was, they had to be cleared before entering any sensitive area of the camp.

A wagging tail and lick on the hand ensured the girls were good to go. Both Kate and Blair gave the animals a pat on the head and words of praise, they nodded to the guards, then proceeded to head towards the infirmary.

...

The warm water rained down on her face as she leaned in with closed eyes and felt its gentle warm caress. Allison was too young to remember how it felt to have a warm shower, in fact, she had never had a shower before. It was soothing to feel the gently sprinkle of droplets fall onto naked body, seemingly washing away not only the dirt and grime, but most of the worries that had played about in Allison's mind. In a matter of days, her life had been turned around to the point of her not knowing where up and down was. She had been kidnapped, almost raped, rescued, re-united with family and met knew friends. Now she was enrolled in the Resistance, lead by John Connor.

A smile came across her face as she remembered the moment John had burst into the room and rescued her from Blaine, the grotesque leader of the raiders. Her face quickly blushed when she remembered how embarrassed she was when she found out she had been topless, but John had been a gentleman, had given his jacket for her to wear and spared her even more embarrassment.

"Allie...you gonna just stand there all night? Two more minutes to go!" Melissa barked out from a couple of stalls over.

Allison snapped out of her daydream. "I'm almost done Mel."

"I'm not...I never want to leave." Amanda replied from the next shower stall. Her eyes were closed , but she had a huge smile on her face as she remained under the warm sprinkle of water.

"Just as long as you two made sure to scrub off all the grime and used shampoo in your hair like I showed you, I'll be happy." Melissa called out cheerfully. She knew the girls were in their glory right now, especially since the girls had probably not had a warm shower or bath, since before Judgement Day.

It had been after Melissa had settled both Amanda and Allison into the girls' dorm, she had led them off to the girls showers to wash the weeks of filth off their bodies. Being clean was actually part of the girls' training, in Melissa's eyes the girls needed to be trained in all aspects, including proper hygiene. Besides, deep down, Melissa knew it would help boost the girls' confidence in feeling safe at the camp and looking presentable. She felt that every bit of normalcy and comfort went a long way towards helping both girls heal form all the painful things they had experienced.

"Time's up ladies!" Melissa called out.

Her words were met with groans of protest and outright begging for 'just one more minute'. Melissa smiled, but held her ground.

"You two need a good night's sleep...I have a big day planned tomorrow."

"Big Day?" Amanda questioned as she stepped out of the stall and wrapped a towel around herself.

"We begin your training for the resistance."

"I'm ready to start now...I feel like that shower gave me some sort of magical energy." Allison added with gusto and a bright smile.

"Hold that thought Allie, and save all that new 'energy' for tomorrow." Melissa tossed her towel in her bag and finished dressing. "Now hurry up you two, we need to get back to the dorm before _lights out_"

"Lights out?"

"Ummm...yeah...we power down the camp to save energy." Melissa added. " Ohhh...and when we get back to the room, make sure to hang the towels to dry ladies."

Melissa saw a renewed eagerness and happiness in the girls' attitude towards their new surroundings, it brought a smile to her face and a sense of relief that she had been part of the rescue. Humanity was too important to have it destroyed by Skynet or by others that sought to take advantage of the weak and young. Thoughts of her past always seemed to surface, whenever she saw any young girl in either the camp or anywhere else. She knew how hard life could be and she remembered how she had suffered at the hands of people she wished she had never met, never mind Skynet.

The two teens hurried up to dry off and get dressed. Both girls were chatting up a storm as they slipped on their fresh change of clothes, donated by Blair and Melissa.

"You smell good Mandy!"

"Well so do you Allie...like those strawberries we had at Hammerhead!"

"Mmmmm...yeah..." Allison went off into a trance. "They were wonderful..."

"Melt in your mouth and so good..." Amanda added.

Melissa cut in. "Hold on...you two are makin' me hungry now."

"Ooops...sorry Mel, but they were really good..." Amanda cut in with a smirk.

"Yeah...they were, weren't they girls." Melissa grinned and winked. "But this talkin' is not getting us back to the room!"

Both girls agreed, finished dressing and packed up their gear to go back to the dorm.

...

John and Barnes had been sitting in the cafeteria area, enjoying the home brew, when Kate and Blair walked by the entrance and noticed the two men.

"Hey!" Kate called out.

"Hey yourself." John answered back, with a slight slur. The potent alcohol was beginning to dull his senses, but John welcomed the moment of relaxation and bliss, especially after the past few days he had experienced.

Kate narrowed her look. "Barnes?... Are you getting my boy drunk?"

"Maybe I am." Barnes smiled.

"Well you take it easy on him, he has some ...ummm...work to do before bed." Kate added with a wink.

"Don't you worry miss...I'll get him back to your room safe and sound." Barnes saluted Kate and then took another rather large gulp of the strong brew.

Blair shook her head and grinned. "Huh...boys will be boys..."

They always are, that's why I'm glad I had a girl." Kate's eyes shone as she spoke up.

Blair noticed her expression, smiled and leaned in a bit more on Kate's shoulder as they made their way down the hallway towards the infirmary. She knew how much John meant to Kate and to Kayla, she just wished she could have something close to what the Connors had. Her thoughts changed from happiness to that of melancholy as they went deeper into wishing for a loving family of her own. _Maybe Derek could be the one to change things._

Barnes nudged John on the shoulder. "You know you should be heading to bed...and I don't mean to sleep either."

As soon as John looked up, Barnes winked and tilted his head towards the exit. "We can catch up on what went on tomorrow Connor."

John smiled sheepishly. "She was pretty direct about me getting to bed, wasn't she."

"Hell ya" Barnes slapped John on the shoulder, got up from his chair to stretch, then continued. "I need to get some sleep and you need to tend to her needs."

John tilted his cup all the way back as he finished off the last of his drink, wiped his chin and got up to leave. "Night Barnes...duty calls."

"Connor"

"What?"

"Hit the showers first, you really stink!"

John sniffed his armpit, looked over to Barnes and nodded in agreement. "I'll take your advice in confidence sir."

...

Melissa lead the girls back to their dorm room, all three would share the room, but have separate beds. This came as a pleasant surprise to the girls, as they had been used to sharing beds, tents and virtually everything else with others. Originally the room had been designed to have maybe one or two occupants, so it was a bit crowded, but cosy with having the two bunk beds set up on either side of the room. Being a girls' room, decorations were on the feminine side. A stack of old romance novels, some old and faded fashion magazines, a gas lamp, along with a beat up military laptop from before Judgement day were piled on a desk in the middle of the far wall separating the two beds. A tall dresser and a trunk sat just inside of the doorway, along with a vanity mirror secured to the wall above the trunk. Piles of clothes were placed in various parts of the room in a haphazard fashion, along with some personal items.

A makeshift clothes line was off to the back half of the room, laden with various articles of clothing that had been left to dry just before Melissa and Blair had left for the rescue mission. Empty spots on the line were quickly filled by the girls' damp towels as they prepared for bed.

Melissa lit the lamp and turned off the main light switch in anticipation of lights out.

"Don't you guys use the lights all the time?" Amanda inquired.

"Most of the complex goes dark to save on fuel. We do use solar, but still need fuel to run the generators." Melissa replied nonchalantly as she stored some of her gear.

Allison quickly dropped her stuff and scrambled to the top bunk. "I call this one!"

"Good...you'll fall farther." Amanda added with a grin, while she crawled into her bed.

Allison smiled to herself as she snuggled under the blanket. The soft mattress and warm sheets were inviting to her tired body.

"Tomorrow we will get you girls some more clothes to wear. Most likely it will be military issue and won't fit well, but Blair and I can show you two how to do alterations to garments."

"I'm just glad we got here in one piece." Allison wiggled under the sheets as she struggled to find the most comfortable position to fall asleep in.

"Yeah me too Allie." Amanda rested her head on the pillow and slowly closed her eyes.

"Just make sure you two get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Melissa paused for an answer, but all she heard was steady breathing. Both girls had immediately fallen asleep. "Good night ladies" She whispered.

Melissa finished putting away some miscellaneous items, then she too slipped under the covers on her bed. Before drifting off to sleep, Melissa leaned over and turned down the lamp. She figured a little light in a strange room would be better than having the girls awaken in pitch black and possibly freaking out. The fuel was hard to come by, but worth the peace of mind. Feeling content with a successful mission and the safe arrival home, she lay back, closed her eyes and let herself drift into slumber.

...

Kyle had finally finished putting away the new supplies into storage containers, he was dead tired and eager to crash in his own bunk bed. He was pretty sure Star would be sleeping by now as it was way past sunset by now and also past her bed time.

He slowly made his way back to the main entrance, let the dogs sniff him, nodded to the two guards and proceeded towards the men's' dorm. Star was bunked with other young girls in another room, but since his route to his room passed hers, he figured he might be able to stop in and say hello. That is if she was awake.

The hallways were dimly lit, only basic lighting was left on overnight as a skeleton crew manned the radios and surveillance cameras. Kyle was use to the darker conditions, if need be he probably could navigate the whole complex in pitch black, after being at the camp for about two years, he had grown to know Crystal Peak like the back of his hand.

Kyle walked up to Star's dorm, slowly opened the door and crept in. He looked around and instantly saw that she was indeed sleeping.

Figuring that it would be wiser to just come by in the morning, Kyle chose to exit the room quietly, so as to not disturb Star or the other girls that were sleeping.

As soon as he turned to leave, Star sat bolt upright.

Startled by her sudden move, Kyle stopped in his tracks. Star lifted her arms up for a hug from Kyle, he obliged by quietly tip toeing up to her bed and pull her into a big bear hug.

"You go back to sleep now...I'll see you in the morning...okay?" Kyle whispered into Star's ear.

Star nodded and broke the embrace, she lay back down and gave Kyle a big smile.

Kyle grinned back at her and crept backwards to the door so as to not disturb the others in the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Kyle slipped down the hallway towards his room.

Inside the girls' dorm, Star remained in her bed. She knew Kyle was home now just by the way his footsteps fell onto the tiled floor, before he had opened the door. As soon as he left the room, she snuggled her head into the pillow and closed her eyes, a small smile formed on her lips once she closed her eyes.

Kyle made his way as quickly and quietly down the hallway as he possibly could, he was in a hurry to get to his bed and catch up on some sleep. The ride in the truck had been long and he didn't rest well during the last leg of travel back to the base. Just to be safe, he glanced down intersecting hallways as he passed them, a force of habit based on the time he had lived out amongst the rubble of Los Angeles. Back then it was prudent to keep a sharp eye and ear for terminators or other people out to steal what you had, now it was just second nature for him to be always aware of his surroundings.

Finally he made it to his room. It was a room he shared with about 5 other males in the resistance, but as long as there was a bed to lay upon, Kyle was happy. He was greeted by a chorus of snores and grumbling as he stumbled about in the room. Being a typical room dominated by males, it was not the cleanest room, but it was sanitary. The resistance may have had a military structure, but most of the rules had been relaxed to accommodate the everyday person that had joined up to fight Skynet.

The dim light from the hallway did little to help Kyle find his bunk, but his eyes soon grew accustomed to its inky blackness and he managed to climb into his bed with little effort. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Kyle closed his eyes and instantly let his mind drift off towards a certain blond haired girl that seemed to enjoy bugging him, along with the help of his adopted sister Allison.

...

Derek was dead tired, but eager to check up on Blair, he fumbled his way through the hallways, finally finding a person to help direct him to the infirmary. From the directions that had been explained, he was able to locate Blair's stall. Quietly and slowly he edged his way into the large room, divided up by rails and curtains. He passed the abandoned nursing station and made his way along the aisle way until he finally located Blair resting in a bed.

Seeing that Blair was still wide awake, Derek sucked in a deep breath and stepped into her cubicle.

"Hey you...how are you doing?" Derek softly asked.

Blair flashed Derek a winning smile and patted a spot beside her on the bed. "I'm fine...come here for a second."

"I just came by to say goodnight..."

"There's room for two here." Blair cut in.

Derek blushed slightly then quickly sat down beside Blair. "I don't want to impose on your rest..."

Blair narrowed her gaze. "Derek Reese...shut up and get closer..."

"But..."

"No buts...just stay with me..okay?" Blair had a slight pout and batted her eyelashes at Derek.

Caught up in his infatuation with Blair and the new found joy in meeting someone he had a genuine attraction to, Derek caved in and stretched out beside Blair.

Blair smiled and lifted herself up so as to let Derek place his arm securely around her.

"I'm glad you stopped by Derek."

"Well I had a hell of a time finding this place...probably would have never found my room either."

Blair rolled her eyes at Derek then burst out in laughter. "Yeah...you'd probably end up getting thrown in a cell...or worse...shot!"

"Gee...nice place you have here then..."

"Please...you'd do the same if some strange guy was wondering around in the hallways." Blair smiled sweetly at Derek, she was glad he had come by to visit her.

"So...I guess I need to stay here with you...so _you_ can protect me?"

"Mmmm...yep...that's it Reese." Blair snuggled closer to Derek.

Derek responded by tightening his hold on Blair by placing his other arm around her and pulling her closer. "In that case I think I'll stay the night."

Blair's face went serious for a second before she spoke. "Reese..."

"Yeah William's?"

"I'm glad everything worked out...I mean with your family and friends."

Derek smiled back at Blair. "So am I Blair...I'm glad too for...well...meeting you."

"Hmm...you might regret saying that later Reese." Blair narrowed her gaze but Derek could tell she was teasing him again.

"I doubt it Williams."

Succumbing to exhaustion and feeling somewhat secure in their surroundings, both Derek and Blair slowly drifted off to sleep.

...

Feeling refreshed from the shower, John eagerly made his way back to his room. He knew Kate would be waiting up for him, she always wanted to know what had gone on during any trips and she enjoyed the time alone with him, just as much as he did with her. Night time, just before bed, was the only real time they had to be one on one as a couple. The day was usually so busy, they hardly got to stop to say hi or even meet for lunch. John knew it was important to keep Crystal Peak running, but so was his marriage. The stresses of keeping the resistance going, helping out with refugees and trying to keep tabs on Skynet, took its toll on everyone, especially John. Kate knew and understood, but deep down he knew, she wished they didn't have to deal with so much on a daily basis.

John sighed in relief as he came upon a familiar door. He quickly stepped in and tossed his gear off to the side, laid his weapon against the dresser beside the bed and began to strip down to his underwear. Kate came from behind the curtain dividing their bed from Kayla's bed. She was wearing an old t-shirt of his and as far as he could tell, and nothing else, but a smile. Her hair had grown much longer, crimson curls cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. Her face was pale but for the few freckles that were sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. Despite having Kayla, Kate had managed to retain her slender form, partly to do with a vigorous work schedule and also the fact that food was still in short supply. She was a vision of natural beauty and grace in John's eyes.

"Hi sweetheart!"

"Hi yourself" John smirked as his eyes followed the curves of her body from her toes up to the slender curve of her neck.

Kate placed her hands on her side, in mock expression of being slightly irritated. "Are you undressing me with your eyes?"

"Maybe..." John chuckled. "...but I am feeling dead tired." He faked yawning and stretched his arms above his head.

Kate smiled impishly and wagged her index finger at John. "Ohhhh no, don't try playing that game with me John Connor, I have plans for you!"

"Oh?"

"Get to bed soldier...that's an order!" Kate's face was serious, but her eyes betrayed the mischief she was up to.

John crossed his arms. "Maybe I don't want to!"

Kate stepped closer, grabbed John's shirt with both hands and planted a warm kiss on his lips. After closing her eyes and savouring the moment of bliss, Kate broke away.

"Does that change your mind?"

John grinned sheepishly and pushed the game further. "No" he responded nonchalantly.

Kate huffed in mock anger and used both her hands to push John off balance. Shocked by her sudden move he fell backwards onto the bed, but made no effort to get up.

"Giving up so soon?" Kate curled her lip up in triumph.

John slid further back onto the bed and placed his hands behind his neck.

"No"

Seeing she had to switch her plan of attack, Kate grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one flowing movement. Her hair fell back down on her shoulders, but failed to hide the fact that she stood before her husband totally naked.

"How about now?" Kate asked as she casually let the shirt slip from her fingertips and onto the floor.

John blushed and gulped a breath of air as his eyes drank in her beauty.

"Maybe" he squeaked. Even after all the time they had spent together, John was still easily embarrassed by her forwardness.

"Maybe huh..." Kate bit the bottom of her lip, smiled and climbed onto the bed. She slipped one of her legs over John's midsection so she could straddle him. She leaned in close to his face and let her hair fall around their faces, cocooning them from any visual distractions. She tenderly placed little baby kisses up and down his neck. "...have you changed your mind yet?" she whispered huskily between her kisses she tenderly placed on his skin.

John smiled and gently flipped her off of him and rolled Kate onto her back. He returned her kisses with soft ones of his own. "Does this answer your question?" John murmured in her ear.

Kate giggled as John's lips brushed by her ear. "Just shut up and get naked so I can really wear you out."

"Hmmm...we'll see who gets tired first" John breathed as he grazed his lips across hers.

"Mmmm...no more talking, just keep kissing me." Kate groaned as she wrapped her arms around John and puller him into a deep passionate kiss.

...

The machine had kept marching all day and into the evening, at a pace that would have worn out a normal man hours ago. Keeping away from open areas and making sure its sensors were kept on high alert, the terminator made sure it was not spotted. Even if it had been seen from a distance, the machine knew resistance soldiers or groups of marauders would surely move in to investigate a lone person wandering in the desert. If a firefight broke out, chances are the machine would have no problem dealing with any humans, but its mission was to remain hidden and observe. Killing anyone would draw attention and expose Skynet to be active. The element of surprise was needed to ensure Skynet would be successful in crushing the resistance at this base and in other locations.

The machine had kept near to the main route used by the convoy, ensuring it would not lose the trail. Climbing up a steep hillside, it popped its head over the top to perform a search for any signs of a resistance camp. Off in the distance, barely in sight, a glimmer of light twinkled. The machine zoomed in its optics and observed headlights from vehicles and the base itself, revealing it to be a hive of activity.

By its calculations, Terminator unit 800-4239 was now within 5 miles of Crystal Peak, close enough to attempt contact with the infiltrator unit. Cloud cover was low and would help aid in transmission of the machines signal. Immediately it switched on the transmitter and began to send out a coded message to Skynet, pinpointing the resistance camps location. Upon receiving confirmation from Skynet that the message had been received, the terminator turned its efforts towards contacting the infiltrator.

Using a different coded message and frequency, unit 800-4239 began to attempt contact with the infiltrator unit. Seconds later a confirmation message was sent back to the machine.

Contact had been made with the infiltration unit.

...

Star had been resting peacefully, when she again sat bolt upright in her bed. This time something different has roused her, a weak message was being received from outside of the camp. A hint of a smile played upon her lips as she sent confirmation back to the unit that had contacted her.

_Message received...will begin transmission of intel gathered from within Crystal Peak tomorrow at sunset from southeast corner of camp to ensure all data is received._

Confirmation was sent back to Star and then the signal was cut. She turned her head to scan the room, making sure no one had seen her awake. Secrecy was of upmost importance to ensure victory.

Satisfied she had not been discovered, Star smiled, a bright unnatural flash flickered from behind her eyes, temporarily casting a red glow in the room. Slowly the infiltrator laid back onto its pillow, setting its internal clock to awaken from standby at precisely six in the morning.

Tomorrow would be a new beginning for Skynet's battle to dominate humanity and eventuality the annihilation of everyone on the planet.


End file.
